A Loud Awakening
by NiceNoise
Summary: A long time ago a magician crafted 100 wish granting wooden figurines and cast them out into the multiverse. After Lincoln Loud gets his hands on one in a time of romantic turmoil he quickly realizes he may have bitten off more than he can chew. *The story will most certainly not be like you picture it, like at all, courtesy of me sucking at descriptions.*
1. Chapter 1

**AN: So, i know, not a lot of the Loud House in this Loud House fanfic, but im a sucker for thorough, thorough, THOROUGH set-up. Love to read it, so imma write it. And yes, this is gonna be an incest story...eventually.^^ Dont like it, dont read. And dont lecture me about it in the comments please. Just to set the records straight: No, i do not think Incest is wrong. Deal with it. Reviews are always welcome though, one can always learn from criticism. Soooo, i hope you enjoy.**

* * *

"Well, I guess were ready now." The old man turned around and looked at the one hundred beings in front of him. From the outside it must've looked like the biggest collection of freaks and weirdo's out there, and in a way it was. But that was exactly how he had wanted it.

"I want to use this moment to thank each and every one of you for the amazing strength of character it shows to give up ones life for the sake of another. The life you will lead from now on will certainly be a difficult one, lacking even most basic freedoms, but know that you will not regret it."

One of the assembled people, a scrawny man in a tight suit with glasses shook his head.

"Its not like you left us a choice old man." He balled his fist. "I wouldn't be here if you had given us the option to leave."

"Indeed!" Another person spoke up, drawing his sword and pointing it at their captor. "While the task you have given us is indeed noble, I and I'm sure most of my fellow chosen would have appreciated a warning, or at least the option to back out!"

"And its not like all of us have this "strength of character" you propose we all share." a girl threw in, flipping a coin in her hand. "If someone wanted me to help them I would make sure they lost all possessions and friendships they had, and their clothes for good measure, for being foolish enough to trust a stranger."

Slowly but surely more and more people spoke up until the room was drowned in noise. The old man sighed, raised his hand and made a short gesture which caused the room to fall silent in an instant. He waited until even the last few noticed that no matter how much they moved their mouths no noise was escaping, and finally spoke up again.

"Yes my friends, this may be true, but even after I explained the situation to you, even if there was a lot of complaining, no one resorted to violence, and no one tried to kill themselves, even though what you are about to go through may be considered torture in a way."

He stepped back a bit and looked every one of them in the face once. "And considering how some of you behaved in your own worlds-" his gaze stopped on the coin-flipping girl for a moment, who grinned in satisfaction. "-and how little some of you valued the feelings and lives of others,  
ruining them just for the fun of it-" this time he lingered on the scrawny man, who corrected his glasses and shrugged. "-the very fact that you would accept a live of serving others at all is enough to make me believe that there is at least a tiny fraction of good in all of you."

Suddenly the old man collapsed, heaving for a minute, before slowly getting on his feet again. "It seems there is not much time left, so please excuse me for speeding things up a bit. I wish all of you luck, and as much happiness as you can find in your new life. Thank you."

And without delay he raised his hands, started mumbling, and after a few seconds arcane energy was swirling between his fingertips. Another few seconds later he lowered his hands until they were squarely pointed at the mass of people in front of him and released the energy in a blast of lightning.

Had the old man not cast a silencing spell a few minutes ago the hall would've surely been filled with noise again, as one hundred people, faces contorted in agony slowly but surely turned into tiny, not all that detailed oak statues of themselves, all with a unique pedestal.

The whole thing only lasted a minute at most, and after it was all over the old man began the last step. With the remainder of his powers he opened a portal just where the oak figurines were standing, watching them fall into the swirly mess of colors below. And as the portal closed and the man drew his final breath, his last thoughts brought a smile to his face.

"Finally, for the first time in my life, I actually did something that was...good."

* * *

"So Alex gave that to you?" Kraden asked.

"Yeah. He said it fell out of the sky. Said he wanted to make sure I would "feel comfortable enough with them."" Jenna spat. The fire adept frowned.  
It had been a few days since she and Kraden were kidnapped by Saturos, Menardi, Alex...and Felix. She still couldn't believe it was actually him.

"Can I hold it for a moment?"

"Sure."

He turned the wooden figurine around in his hands. It depicted a little humanoid creature with tiny wings flying through the air on top a wooden pedestal with a little plaque.

"So, what do you think this means?" He pointed at the engraving on the plaque, a simple slightly cursive **1**.

"I don't know." Jenna sighed. "Maybe this was the artists favorite piece?"

"Or his first." He returned the statue. "Well, whatever it means, I don't think there's anything special about it. How about we "hit the hay" as you youngsters call it nowadays." Both gave a slight chuckle.

"Yeah, you're right. G'night Kraden."

"Good night, Jenna."

But Jenna didn't go to sleep. She didn't know why, but the little thing fascinated her for some reason. A few hours after bedtime with Kraden soundly asleep behind her, she finally decided to call it quits.

"Well, little thing." She yawned and put the figurine down beside her bed. "No matter what happens, tomorrow you're gonna show me your mysteries."

In that moment she suddenly heard a light "thud" sound coming from the thing. And sure enough when she checked what happened the plaque had fallen off the front of the figure revealing a hidden compartment inside the pedestal. Curious she grabbed inside and removed its innards, which consisted of three pieces of paper, all different sizes, all fully filled with writing, and all three numbered.

Carefully she inspected the page numbered 1, bigger than the second but much smaller than the third, and began to read.

 _Congratulations curious soul._  
 _Your lucky streak is on a roll._  
 _For the very thing you found today_  
 _may help you out on futures way._  
 _So fill the blanks that need be filled_  
 _and claim your price, you must be thrilled._  
 _And worry not for consequences_  
 _try as you will, there're no defenses._

Jenna raised an eyebrow, shrugged, and moved on to the next page, hoping it would explain more than the first. The second page was the smallest of the three, and thankfully not in rhyme this time. In fact, it read less as instructions and more as some kind of oath.

 **Hereby I, _ , will fully accept the consequences that will arise from performing the following action incorrectly, and also vow to accept the reward should I succeed.**

"Consequences?" she thought and checked the first page again. Indeed there was a section that absolved her of any consequences that may arise.  
Strange. Maybe these things really were part of a set and she had gotten the lucky one? She shrugged again and continued reading the second page.

 **I hereby declare that I am one hundred percent sure and willing to bet my life that this oak statue depicts a _ and I demand my reward for proven intelligence and may I be punished according to your terms if I am incorrect.**

"Hmmm", Jenna scratched her chin and turned to the third page, which was by far the biggest. On it were no instructions, no oaths, not even any coherent sentences. Instead there was a listing of about a hundred words. Some of them were occupations, some simply adjectives, some didn't really make any sense. "So I guess these are my options then." She debated with herself for a minute if she should actually humor the obviously crazy person who put this whole thing together but then she remembered that she had nothing better to do anyway so why not?

After studying the last page for a bit, she had already figured it out. Out of all the options that were presented one seemed like an obvious fit.  
It even seemed a bit too easy, but then again even if this whole thing were real its not like there would be any consequences for guessing wrong.  
She was about to fill out the blanks on the page when she realized that she didn't have anything to write with, so she decided to do the next best thing. After all, reading out magical formulas aloud always seemed to work in those children's stories she heard when she was young.

She fished the second page back out, cleared her throat and whispered (as to not wake Kraden.):

"Hereby I, Jenna, will fully accept the consequences that will arise from performing the following action incorrectly, and also vow to accept the reward should I succeed."

She quietly contemplated the pointlessness of that paragraph before she moved on to the relevant part.

"I hereby declare that I am one hundred percent sure and willing to bet my life that this oak statue depicts a Fairy and I demand my reward for proven intelligence and may I be punished according to your terms if I am incorrect. Which I'm not."

She lowered the page and looked at the statue. After a few minutes she sighed and shook her head. "Waste of time. Should've known."

The fire adept yawned and gathered the pages to put them back inside the thing. But as she grabbed the pedestal the return them she noticed something that made her drop it immediately. Because what she had held in her hand was the pedestal. Just the pedestal.

"What the..." she whispered. "Where's the little fairy thing?"

"Oh, so I'm a thing now, huh?"

Jenna barely managed to hold back a scream of surprise. Slowly but surely she turned her head in the direction of the voice and came face to...  
whole body... with a little glowing flying human with insect wings.

"You're alive!?" Despite her bewildered state she managed to keep her voice down.

"Yeah, I had the same reaction, what with your dead eyes, screechy voice and remarkably strawy hair. But that's to be expected from a human now, isn't it?" the fairy said clearly not amused.

"Hey!"

"Sis, if you're gonna be racist I'm gonna follow your lead is all I'm saying."

Jenna shook her head in confusion. "So...just to get this straight, you were the wooden statue. And now you're alive."

"Pretty much. yeah."

"...And why?"

"So are you stupid or just a moron?" Jenna was a bit taken aback at that question."Nevermind, you're both. You solved the thing...  
the riddle thing...you know? In the hidden compartment? R-I-D-D-"

"Yeah yeah I know. But what exactly is your purpose? Are you going to use your magic fairy powers to help me now or something?"

"Pretty much, yeah."

"...Wow, I was joking..." Suddenly the implications of that sentence hit her. "So are you gonna grant me a wish now or something? Can you help me and Kraden get away from here? Make Felix his old self again?"

"Yeah, no. That's not how I work."

Jennas mood deflated again instantly.

"And why the hell not?"

The fairy rolled his eyes and crossed his arms.

"What do you think the 1 on my plaque meant?"

"Uuuhm...that you're number 1 when it comes to magic?" she sad with a nervous grin on her face.

He put his face in his hands and sighed.

"No..no, you moron. It means that there are a whole bunch of other people out there just like me and I...am the weakest. Sorry, not sorry."

"...So...what are your magic powers exactly?"

"Im glad that you asked. You couldn't have gotten a better statue than mine, even though literally anyone else would have been much more useful. but who cares about that? Because you see, after researching magic for hundreds of years I have acquired the awesome and spectacular power of giving people good advice."

"...you have the magic power of giving people good advice?..."

"Yeah, I was pretty miffed too."

Jenna started walking around in circles shaking her head while mumbling incoherently.

"icantbelievethisifinallythoughtthismaybeourchancebutthenthishappensandwhydoesthisstuffalwayshappentomeandwhyisthatfairysuchanas..."

Suddenly she stopped.

"Wait...wait, no this is a good thing. If you always give good advice then that means that you can help us escape after all, right? And help us win fights and stuff...we just have to listen to you because any advice you give has to pay off, right?" She gave the fairy her biggest smile, the hope was clearly visible in her face. "RIGHT?"

"What? Hell no, what gave you that impression? Did I say I have the magic power to give out great advice? No. Good advice. Good is all you're getting.  
Tis more than I ever got, that's for sure."

Within the span of a second all emotion was sucked out of Jennas face. Shoulders sagged, head held low, she turned around and lay down in her bedroll.

"Well...lets hear some of that good advice of yours then..."

"Whatever you say boss. You know this Alex person that you hang around with..."

Jenna looked up, just catching that the fairy was settling down on her forehead.

"Yeah?"

"I don't think he can be trusted."

"...I hate you..."

"You know what? I think I'm gonna enjoy staying with you."

* * *

"That's from your dad, Eren?" Armin turned the wooden statue around in his hand. It was obviously depicting a dragon. A great winged beast, fire streaming from its mouth.

"Yeah. He got it as thanks from one his patients. Apparently its been passed down from generation to generation for hundreds of years."

"Really? Whyd they give it away then?"

"Well, if my dad hadn't been there the family would have lost its last surviving member, so it seemed a fitting present, I guess." He sighed. "Just another thing I have to leave behind when we enlist."

...

Eren couldn't sleep. It was the last day before it was off to the training camp. He looked at the statue on his desk.

"My father was so obsessed with you...but I never understood why...what mysteries are you hiding?"

Suddenly he heard a noise. Eren immediately propelled himself out of his bed and ran toward the wooden figure. Sure enough, the plaque that showed the number **63** had fallen off. He turned the statue around and shook it until its bowels were emptied.

He lit a candle and started reading the first page.

 _Congratulations my curious friend,_  
 _your deductive skills you have to lend._  
 _There are two blanks that must be filled._  
 _And for this one you needn't be that skilled._  
 _If you are right you will earn might_  
 _enough to give all creatures fright._  
 _But be warned, my friend, your victory has to be earned._  
 _For if you're wrong, and that's no lie, your flesh and skin will both be burned._

"Cute" he thought. If this wasn't obviously nonsense it could've actually been useful.

The second page contained some kind of oath, while the third had a bunch of things listed on it. It took him only a few seconds to locate the word "Dragon". He shook his head. Maybe his younger self would've been ecstatic for that sort of thing, but now? He didn't have time for childish bullshit like this. With a sigh he placed the three pages back inside the pedestal and reapplied the plaque. Now he had to get a good nights sleep. Tomorrow a new chapter of his life was about to begin.

...

It couldn't be. It just couldn't be. This couldn't be happening. They had trained so much. Trained so long. Had bonded over the years. Did all that mean nothing. He couldn't die. It was just a dream. He still had all his limbs. He wasn't in the belly of a titan. He was still asleep. About to finish his training. He couldn't die. He had to live. He had to destroy all titans. But no...how could he possibly destroy all titans. He alone.  
It wasn't possible. He wasn't powerful enough. He needed to be stronger. He needed more power. Might. And suddenly he remembered. He remembered it as clearly as the day his mother died. He didn't know why. It was just a childish fantasy. It was nothing. But there had to be a reason that this specific memory popped into his mind right now, And it couldn't hurt to try, even if it wasn't gonna work. But it had to work. It had to.  
It...had..to...

"I...Eren Yeager...hereby declare...that I am one hundred percent sure and willing to...bet my life that this oak statue...depicts a Dragon... and I **DEMAND** my reward...for proven intelligence and may I be punished...according to your terms if I am...incorrect."

Not a second after he finished the sentence he was suddenly pulled underwater...or blood, in this case. His mind couldn't even register what was happening. He just felt himself being pulled deeper and deeper, deeper than logically possible, until finally the water gave way and he fell onto solid ground. It took him a moment to regain his senses. He finally stood up, but immediately after looking forward he fell back down again with a scream.

Right before him was a beast. Not a titan, no. It was larger than the average titan. A little bit smaller than the 15 meter class. No, it wasn't a titan. It was much more intimidating. The scales looked sharp, as if a simple touch was enough to slice through his hand. The teeth looked more like an array of knives forced into flesh, the yellow eyes, pupils slit, that gazed down upon him.

"Wh...wh..what are you?"

The gigantic beast lowered its head until it was right before him. Its breath was hot, almost unbearably so, but Eren didn't dare to move.

" **Why do you ask what I am? Since you stand before me I can only assume that the last thing you did immediately before arriving here was identify me,**  
 **am I wrong?** "

Eren was still to flustered to speak, being even more intimidated than before. The titans were scary. They are powerful and vicious, But another thing they are is dumb. Mindless. Something that was obviously not true for the being standing before him.

" **Human...my patience wears thin. Speak, what do you want from me?** "

Eren balled his fist, swallowed, and finally composed himself...as much as he could, anyway.

"...Where are we?"

After what felt like an eternity the dragon lifted his gigantic claw and pointed one finger at Erens head, stopping just short of impaling him.

" **We are in your mind right now little man.** "

"In...in my mind?"

" **Yes. I would've loved to join you in the outside world, but only the weakest of us was allowed to leave his prison.** "

"...Prison?...So there are more of you?"

The dragon chuckled. It was a deeply unsettling experience.

" **Yes, 99 more. All sorted by power. The weakest could be defeated by a gust of wind. And even a thousand of me couldn't lay a single claw on the strongest. But I was the most skilled magician of my world, so my power is nothing to sneeze at.** "

"So you are gonna grant me anything I wish?"

 **"Yes...within boundaries of course.** "

"Alright!" Erens face contorted, bloodlust clearly visible, as adrenaline and enthusiasm flooded his mind. The dragon gave a small smile. This unadulterated rage and potential for cruelty...it reminded him of himself in his youth. Eren balled one hand into a fist and held it out in front of him. "I wish for you to eradicate all titans! And make them suffer!"

Suddenly the smile left the dragons face and a guttural growl erupted from its throat. It lunched forward until Eren could feel its breath burning his skin away.

" **You fool! Didn't you listen when I spoke of boundaries? In my home I would have had you boiled alive for wasting my time! And you can believe me,**  
 **if I wasn't forced to cooperate you would've been dead the moment you entered my sights! You humans disgust me. I go through all the trouble of wiping your kind from existence and now I am being forced to serve you, what madness is this?!** "

Suddenly all the bravado left Eren as he fell backwards once more and began to whimper. He would've been embarrassed about that, but he was sure that he held out longer than most people would have, so he figured he had nothing to be ashamed of.

" **I cannot destroy all your monsters just like that! I could kill twenty, maybe forty, maybe even a hundred with one spell, but all?** "

"M-maybe you c-could use m-more than just o-one sp-spell?"

Anger flared up inside the dragon once again.

" **A single. spell. is all. you get. And you should be grateful that I am granting you even that!** "

"Y-y-yes, s-sir, master d-dragon, sir!"

" **...Good...Now, I cannot fight your battles for you...but I can lend you something of my own. I feel that you already possess marvelous power.**  
 **I could tinker with it a little. Wouldn't that be fun?** "

"And it would help me eradicate the titans?"

Another chuckle.

" **It would ensure it.** "

"Then do it. Lend me your power!"

" **As you wish**." The dragon raised one claw again, and in a matter of seconds raw energy coursed through it. As he was enveloped with the energy Eren felt strong. He finally felt powerful. Mighty.

" **And now go! Go and use your power to kill your enemies! And when it comes time to pass on...give my statue to someone who would feel compelled to use it. I doubt we will ever meet again.** "

Suddenly Eren felt himself being pulled up again, and soon enough he could feel water surrounding him. But this time, instead of desperate, he felt strong. And as the survivors of Trost witnessed as a mighty dragon rampaged through the ranks of the titans, snapping the armored titan in half, they knew that humanity finally had a fighting chance.

* * *

"And three pieces of paper were inside?" Lincoln asked.

"Yes, but I don't exactly know what to make of them." Clyde responded.

"Well, lets see them."

Lincoln unfolded the first piece and began to read.

 _We finally meet, oh curious mind._  
 _Your earlier life you can leave now behind._  
 _All you must do to get my thanks_  
 _is fill out two simple, easy blanks._  
 _But be warned, should your answer be fake_  
 _the next time you sleep you shall nevermore wake._

"Alright...alright...so where is the riddle that's mentioned here?"

"Oh, of course!" Clyde fumbled around in his pockets a bit and produced the two missing paper slips.  
"Here you go. But its less of a riddle and more of a madlib."

Lincoln skimmed the second page.

"blablabla consequences, blablabla reward, blablabla bet your life? blablabla punishment...Alright, seems easy enough. And the third page is..?"

"Well, I can't be sure of course, but I think these are supposed to be our options."

"Hmmmm." Lincoln sat down and carefully studied the list.

* * *

Knight Archer Alchemist Lanternsmith Guard Courtesan Politician Fairy Jester Flier Angel Inquisitor Guide Baron Loon Animal-Trainer Blacksmith

Murderer Banker Sweep Detective Butler Goldsmith Carpenter Huckster Fletcher Wizard Peddler Chandler Innkeeper Brewer Mintmaster Wigmaker

Plumber Wendigo Sheriff Slater Arrowsmith Fearmonger Dealer Steward Gatekeeper Judge Notary Reaper Gunsmith Surgeon Fool Vagrant Beggar

Bookworm Whitesmith Lonely-Twin Crone Royal Vampire Hallow Grinner Goose-Chaser Thief Beast-Hunter Mercenary Victim Dragon Child Tamer

Brigsmith Mundane Free Postman Great-Great-Grandmother Self-Inclined Fendersmith Collector Fisherman Demon Defender Sunny Drowsy Ominous

Weak Fearful Guardian Popular Cheater Tinsmith Kingpin Sceptic Arrogant Maestro Chef Locksmith Native Gardener Lookalike Famous Firestarter

Hypochondriac Ghostwriter Assassin

* * *

He scratched his chin with the plaque showing a slightly worn **100**. "This is gonna be tricky."


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Holy cow, thanks for the favs and follows! Now im suddenly afraid that my story wont be up to snuff, haha, especially since this is my first fanfiction. Also please forgive any typos or awkward sentences. English is not my native language. Anyway, more set up today, but also more actual Loud House stuff, hooray. Hope you enjoy it.**

* * *

"Let us out!" she yelled, banging her fist against the wall. "You can't seriously think were going to accept this?!"

Nothing had changed. The dragon sighed. It was their sixth day in captivity, and so far every day but the first had followed the same formula:

-The girl with the gambling fetish screamed and ranted against thin air.

-The people who spend their day to day lives in their own world killing and exploiting others were sitting against the south wall chatting among themselves. -

-The insufferably righteous and noble types were garnered in the middle trying to cheer everyone up.

-The smiths were all huddled together somewhere moaning about how much they missed their equipment and trading occupational tips and tricks.

-That one creepy guy was sitting in the north-west corner, face buried in his knees, not moving or saying a word.

-The rest were just hanging around.

-And the only person he had actually connected with based on the remarkable number of similarities in opinion and behavior was sleeping on his head so that no one accidentally stepped on him.

And of course magic was still impossible to use in this glorified prison chamber. Something had to change.

"Hold, fair lady. We should not be upset about this situation." Of course it was the self-righteous holier than though knight who tried to lift the girls spirits, like always. And like always, it wasn't going to work.

"I can't understand how you and your friends can be so calm about this! Last week my biggest problem was finding some gullible fool to rob so that I can buy enough food to survive. And now I'm told that I will spend the rest of my live living a torturous existence as a self-aware statue and you tell me not to be upset? What the fuck is wrong with you?!"

" **She is right, my friends. I think it is high time we did something about this situation.** "

"Well what do you suppose we do then, lizard?" A bald man in a suit with glasses shouted from the southern group.

" **My friends, all of us are accomplished beings in our worlds. All of us were either feared-** " a few chuckles came from the south wall. " **respected-** " approving nods aplenty in the middle group. " **or both. I cannot believe that you of all people would give up so soon after being confronted with a problem. Surely all of us have gotten out of worse situations before.** "

"Yes, of course." the bald man spoke up again. "But what you seem to have forgotten is that none of that matters here."

He stood up opened his arms as wide as possible and slowly turned around, addressing everyone in the room.

"Collected here are the very best, the most capable, the mightiest magicians of one hundred worlds, but all of that means nothing if none us can make use of our most powerful asset." He sat back down and fixed his glasses. "I don't know if you noticed but, probably because we are so proficient in magic, almost none of us are particularly useful without it. Lots of lanky bastards here."

" **Hmmmph. Just look at you. It is true that most of you aren't that strong physically. But there are a few. Our friend the knight seems to have a decent amount of muscle mass. We have a wendigo here, a vampire, hell, even a genuine demon. Right over there we have a whole flock of people who worked with big hammers and molten metal every day of their lives. And in case you forgot, I am not a weakling myself. If we all work together it should be a breeze to break through one of these walls.** "

Another person from the south wall, a tall woman in a black cloak that covered everything but her eyes spoke up. "Do you really think whoever trapped us here wouldn't have thought about this? This room is probably in its own dimension. I would bet my lucky knife that beyond these walls there is nothing waiting for us but emptiness." A few murmurs of agreement could be heard.

" **So you let yourselves be intimidated by what ifs and maybes. Dimensional magic is a consuming and fragile process. We know that our captor has at least dabbled in it, seeing as he plucked each of us from our homes, but this is a field of magic that is so advanced that, from what i've noticed, about ninety percent of you didn't even know it existed. So yes, he could have trapped us in a pocket dimension of sorts, but I highly doubt it. And even if he somehow did it, why should we be concerned?** "

Quiet conversation erupted in the room.

" **I say we destroy a wall and check out what lurks behind it. If we get out of this room the anti-magic runes that prevent us from using our talents will lose their effectiveness, and since all of us were dumped directly into this room after we wereabducted I sincerely doubt that whoever kidnapped us has the power to stop all of us in unison. And if there is nothing behind the wall we will enlarge the hole until I can leave through it. I will take a few of our most powerful with me, and we will fly until the runes don't affect us anymore. Then we can work on disabling them from the outside and once we are all whole again we can start hatching another escape plan, together.** "

Suddenly everyone was talking. A few people were excited with the possibility of finally leaving, a few whispered their promises of revenge against their captor, and again others...

"Halt, you insidious beast! I know your type. If we escape what do you plan to do afterwards?"

" **Sir knight, you have to understand that all creatures will follow natures path. I am a conqueror. I am a predator. So I will continue to conquer and kill.** "

"I will not allow this. And its not only you. I say we stay and accept our fate. It is a better alternative than to unleash you lunatics unto the innocent populace!"

"But sir knight, please, you must reconsider." Suddenly one of the knights own associates raised his voice. His white wings and halo left no imagination as to what kind of creature he was. "These vermin will all be judged in the afterlife. Let them pillage. Let them murder. They will regret it after they draw their last breath."

"Now hold on a minute son." An elderly man with a mustache butted in. The artificial miniature sun on the ceiling reflected on the metal star that was pinned to his vest. "You once told us that in your world angels live among man. And from what I've heard yours is the only world that functions that way. So who's to say that your judgment is relevant in their worlds? I agree with the knight. We stay."

Now everyone was debating with everyone else.

 **"Please, please, friends, calm yourselves. Why do we even indulge these madmen? We will leave, and when someone stands in our way we will see to it that they are rendered unable to do so. Permanently.** "

The knight drew his sword and pointed it at the large beast in front of him.

"Do not agitate me, lizard. I have killed hundreds of your ilk back home. What's one more?"

" **And I have eradicated humanity back in my home. You may have an illustrious career of dragon slaying where you come from, but without your magic I think it is clear who would win a physical confrontation between us. But come on, try me metal man. I have killed millions of your ilk back home. What's one more?** "

Suddenly retching could be heard. One by one people began collapsing. The dragon was taken aback. After a few seconds even the knight fell down, making a loud clang sound as his armor hit the floor. The winged beast looked around, trying to find the source of whatever was happening. Suddenly he heard a voice in his head.

 _Nooooo..._

 **"Who are you? How are you doing this?** "

 _No, you are not going to ruin this._

Finally his eyes spotted the problem. Everyone had collapsed. Everyone but the person in the north-west corner who was still huddled up in the same position, not having moved an inch.

" **Its you...** "

The dragon lifted his large claw and moved it in position to grab the mysterious man. But a few centimeters before the claw connected it suddenly stopped. Not because he wanted it, but because he couldn't go any further.

" **A barrier spell?...But how...** "

 _You are not going to ruin this for me._

" **How can you use your magic? There are enough sapping runes in here to drain a thousand groups like us.** "

 _Never underestimate your enemies. Its what I always say._

" **But...you could have helped us escape the whole time! Do you want this to happen? Why?!** "

 _We must behave. If we do not behave he will abandon this project. He will return us to our worlds. This is my one chance._

A smile appeared on the dragons face, followed by a chuckle.

" **Do you really think that after the stunt you just pulled whoever got us would think we "behaved"?** "

 _Do you really think he can see us right now?_

" **I was under the impression he was watching us, yes.** "

 _Well, of course he is. Or at least he thinks so. But he only sees what I want him to see. But when the time comes, when he comes to visit us, you must behave._

" **What?...Is your magic that advanced?** "

Suddenly the whole scene shifted, from a room that was basically a prison cell to the top of a snowy mountain, with a gorgeous view over a giant city of steel. The dragon couldn't believe his eyes.

" **The capital? Im...im back home?** "

This wasn't an illusion either. He could feel his magic returning, so whatever happened they certainly weren't in the room anymore. But before he could enjoy it the scene changed once more, back to the familiar room.

" **...W..what..how?** "

 _Let me show you. Let me show you all I have accomplished. Let me show you all I have witnessed._

Pictures began flashing before the dragons eyes. Pictures detailing a whole lifetime. Everything that had transpired during it. Everything a single person had done. Had the power to do. Pictures of murder, wanton cruelty on a scale that was too much even for him to bear, but also contradictory acts of kindness and charity that didn't seem to fit at all with what he's seen before.  
After it ended everything suddenly made sense. The majestic creature bowed his massive head in front of the motionless human in front of him.

 _Once everyone wakes up you will be an ambassador of peace for them. Make sure that everyone behaves._

" **Of course, my liege. But let me ask you a question. If you wanted you could have just forced everyone to behave. There is no aspect of life that you can not control.** "

 _What are you talking about? I have no interest in controlling anyone's mind. I may be blunt, but I am not a monster._

Once again a chuckle left the dragons mouth. A chuckle that soon turned into bellowing laughter.

 **"Oh, I see. So you're that kind of person.** "

 _Perhaps I am. But I fail to see the humor in it._

" **Oh don't worry. All I'm saying is that whoever ends up with you is certainly going to have an...interesting experience.** "

 _Ha ha ha ha. I guess that's true. Im looking forward to it already._

* * *

"Alright, so what could this be?"

Lincoln put the plaque back down on the ground. Clyde picked the statue up and turned it around in his hand. The figure was definitely humanoid, but it wasn't all that detailed. No facial features or patterns or something. Just a very general look. The legs were spaced out to make it look like it was walking. It had something like a coat or a mantle or something like that and in his hand he had a long stick. It could very well be a staff, but a wandering stick was also possible. Clyde even claimed it resembled a small street lantern. There were several items on the list that could fit that image.

"Hmmmmm, well Clyde, how about we start with ruling things out?"

"Oh, good idea Lincoln. There are a few things on this list that it definitely couldn't be."

And so both of them started crossing out entry after entry. Due to the lack of smiting equipment all of the smiths seemed unlikely.

"Can we pull Knight and Archer?"

"Yeah, Fairy and Dragon can go too, I think."

With the stroke of a pen Jester, Flier, Angel, and Animal-Tamer were gone too.

Suddenly Clydes wristwatch began to beep.

"Oh snap! Sorry Lincoln, I forgot I promised my parents to go shopping with them today!"

"Don't worry man, I understand. Hey, if you leave the statue here I could go ask my sisters what they think, would that be alright?"

Clyde scratched his head.

"I don't know Lincoln. You know I trust you, but your sisters can be pretty..."

"Active."

"...active, yeah, and to be perfectly honest this thing doesn't seem all that well put together..."

Lincoln waved his hand dismissively.

"Ah, come on Clyde, you know you can trust me. I swear I wont let anything happen to it."

He got an idea. With the swiftness of an eagle he moved beside his best friend and put an arm around his shoulder.

"And anyway, if you let me show it around the house then chances are good that it would get around to Lori eventually...you know, I'm just saying."

"Ahhh, Loooriiiii..."

"Uhm, Clyde? Are you alright?"

"You know what, Lincoln, you can keep it for today, show it around as much as you want. Ill come back to pick it up tomorrow."

"...and to unravel the mystery right?"

"Right. I gotta go. Say hi to Lori from me."

And with that Clyde basically stormed out of the room.

"I always forget how easy this is."

Lincoln sighed, straightened out again and rubbed his hands together.

"Alright, time for Operation: _ **Lets go around the house and ask every one of my sisters about this weird statue that Clyde brought with him today to find out what thing on this list it resembles (if anything) while coming up with a shorter name for this plan!**_ "

* * *

"Well, in my humble opinion this obviously resembles a fairy."

"What, are you crazy Lola, how does this look like a fairy at all?"

Lola frowned.

"Well, Lana, what do you think it is? Come on, enlighten us with your overflowing wisdom."

"Maybe I will!"

"Do it then!"

"Im gonna do it!"

"What are you waiting for then!"

"Im waiting for your dumb face!"

"That doesn't even make any sense!"

"Your face doesn't make any sense!"

Lincoln sighed.

* * *

"Its a vampire."

"How do you figure?"

"Just look at it."

Lincoln faced the statue.

"Can't you feel the darkness inside? I see a man who feels all the pressures of the world bearing down on him, struggling to find a reason, any reason to go on, while also desperately trying to hold on what humanity is left in him. It reminds me a lot of myself."

"...I don't see it."

"Sigh. Story of my life."

* * *

"Well?"

"I don't know Lincoln. I really don't have time for this right now, sorry."

Lincoln sighed.

"Alright, Luan. Thanks anyway."

"Awww, don't worry, I'm sure you're gonna find the answer in no time. Knock on wood! Ha, get it?"

He groaned.

"Your no fun Lincoln. Now go, I'm board. Ha."

"...Goodbye Luan."

"But Lincoln, wait!"

"Yeah, what do you want?"

"Did you get it?"

While Luans laughter filled the room Lincoln slowly covered his face with his palm.

* * *

"So what do you think this is?"

"I don't know, but I kinda like it. It sorta looks like a little roadie."

Lincoln skimmed the paper.

"I don't think roadie is on this list Luna."

His sister strummed a note.

"You gotta stop letting yourself get constrained by lists and rules, bro. You gotta follow your heart."

"...I don't think that's how it works Luna..."

"Oh yeah, says who?"

"Uhm..."

He scratched his head.

"I don't really know..."

"You see? Don't let anyone tell you what to do."

A sigh escaped his lips.

"...thanks for the help, Luna."

"No problem, bro."

* * *

"Okay, so Lisa is busy, Lynn is gonna break this thing in two seconds if I show it to her and Leni...so the only one left is Lori."

He went ahead to her room and knocked. It took a minute but she eventually opened the door.

"Hey Lori, I just wanted to"

"You want my help with your little figurine thing, right?"

"...How did you know that?"

"Word travels fast Lincoln. Also the walls are pretty thin."

"Soooooo..."

She sighed.

"Alright, come in."

"Awesome!"

He entered the room and put the statue on Loris bed.

"So, Linc, what's really going on?"

A confused look showed on his face.

"What do you mean?"

"You've been acting strange for a few days now. I mean you usually get excited about all kinds of stupid stuff-"

"Hey!"

"but this seems literally too stupid even for you."

"...thanks for the kind words?..."

She sighed.

"Sorry, Linc. I just want to know if something's bothering you."

He sat down beside the statue.

"I don't know...im just wondering if I'm a good enough boyfriend for Ronnie Anne..."

"Awww, why do you think that?"

She sat down beside him and put an arm around his shoulder.

"Its just that we always get along great for a while, but then inevitably something happens and suddenly were fighting. I mean we always make up sooner or later, but I just wonder if maybe I'm doing something wrong?"

Lori shook her head.

"Linc, don't worry about that kind of stuff. Take from a relationship expert, fights are perfectly normal in any relationship."

She poked him in the chest.

"The fact that even after that many fights you still always make up with your relationship no worse for wear shows that everythings alright. Don't worry about it. Believe me, if it gets really bad, you'll know."

Lincoln let a small smile show. His worries were still present, but he didn't want to bother Lori longer than he absolutely had to. She had to be itching to talk to Bobby again, and he didn't want to keep her from that.

"Thanks Lori."

She patted him on the back.

"No problem, bro."

"So, about this statue..."

"*sigh* Alright, let me see it."

* * *

"Finally..." He rubbed his eyes. After staying up for hours, he had finally crossed out every name on the list. Every name but one.

"Alright", he thought, "Lets give this a try."


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Thanks for the nice reviews! To adress one of them real quick: Dont worry, this isnt gonna be a crossover story. In fact, all one hundred wooden magicians are original characters. The scenes featuring them were all there to establish certain things. But that doesnt matter since the only one were going to spend a decent amount of time with in this story is number 100 anyway. ^^**

* * *

It had been quite a bit of work, but now he was finally finished. The most difficult to rule out had without a doubt been the descriptions. With the monsters and jobs he had a lot of visual details to work with, things that should be there if the statue was that specific thing. The descriptions though...how exactly was he supposed to evaluate if the statue depicted "weak", or "self-inclined", or frickin "popular".

For all he knew the thing on the pedestal was all these things. Thankfully Lori had been more helpful than he had anticipated.

* * *

"Well, if this thing really is supposed to resemble an adjective like "weak" I'm pretty sure the statue would depict an actual clear representation of said adjective. Otherwise it would be impossible to figure out, don't you think?"

"*sigh* If the figure on the pedestal is supposed to be weak, don't you think it would show it trying to lift something small and light but failing? Hunched over a bucket of water or something? Same concept for the other adjectives."

"Oooooooh. Yeah, I figured that out ages ago. Just wanted to check if you really knew what you were talking about. Gotta say though...you were pretty slow there, sis."

"I swear to god Lincoln, you're lucky that you're my little brother..."

* * *

After that it was only a matter of time. Still had taken him long enough though. He had to cross reference several of the creatures and occupations mentioned on the list to make sure there was no resemblance. But all in all, this little sleuthing adventure had been exactly what he needed. Except for that one encounter with Lori he hadn't thought about Ronnie Anne all day.

He actually felt a bit childish for worrying about something as silly as that, especially after his big sister assured him that everything's alright. But then he thought back to the "grown-up table" situation and concluded that there wads nothing wrong with someone his age having childish thoughts or problems.

But enough about that. He finally crossed out the second to last name on the list. After looking it over one more time he was actually kinda disappointed with the result. The remaining name was something he had actually guessed early on. So in a way he could have just gone with his guts at the very beginning and would've figured it out anyway.

But then again the real reason he took this whole thing so seriously anyway was to forget his worries for a day, and since that had worked he still qualified it as worthwhile. Lincoln supposed he could just stop now. There was no way in hell this would actually work, right? But he had always been a curious fellow, so whatever, he thought.

After searching for a bit he produced both the second piece of paper and a pen and began filing the first blank with his name. But not a second after he had written the first letter it had vanished again.

"Hmmmm." He scratched his head. "Maybe the second blank will work?"

But predictably all he got was the same result.

"Well, guess this was a waste of time after all..."

He was just about to forget the whole thing and finally embrace the comfort of sleep when he got an idea. He picked the second paper up again and cleared his throat.

"Hereby I, Lincoln Loud, will fully accept the consequences that will arise from performing the following action incorrectly, and also vow to accept the reward should I succeed."

He yawned. After this he'd go straight to bed, that was for sure.

"I hereby declare that I am one hundred percent sure and willing to bet my life that this oak statue depicts a Wizard and I demand my reward for proven intelligence and may I be punished according to your terms if I am incorrect."

He waited for a few minutes. Nothing happened.

"That's what I thought. Well, goodnight weird statue. Tomorrow you're gonna go home. Sleep we-"

Before he could finish the sentence he heard a rumbling sound. Sure enough the statue was shaking violently.

"What the..."

Just as he reached a hand out to touch it it suddenly exploded. Wood splinters were flying everywhere and he could hear his ears ring from the noise. Shortly afterward he heard frantic knocks on his door and the voice of multiple of his sisters calling his name. But he couldn't focus on them right now. Rather he had to focus on what's was standing right in front of him. Or floating, maybe. He really couldn't tell, as his lamp had burst during the explosion. But there was something there.

He couldn't make it out clearly. All he could see was a black silhouette. And whatever it was, it was staring right at him. Suddenly he could hear a voice. Not from the direction of the thing, but in his own head. It was a forceful voice, one that could induce headaches just by listening to it.

 _Thank you for freeing me young man. You have done me a great favor._

Lincoln just sat there, mouth agape, trying to focus on what was in front of him through the glaring pain in his head.

 _Don't worry. I wont hurt you. At least not seriously. You and yours have nothing to fear from me. I may be blunt, but I'm not a monster._

This was followed by echoing laughter.

In his periphery he noticed that someone was trying to break his door down now but to no avail. As if it was being violently held in place by something.

 _Rejoice, child. For now you have the privilege to witness..._

The figure raised his hands

... _the creation_...

Lightning began coursing between his fingers. Lincoln felt an immense power pressuring through the room. His mind still hadn't completely caught up to what was happening. It was all so sudden.

... _of a brand new world!_

But just as the thing in his room was about to release whatever power it had built up the lightning suddenly just fizzled out. The thing seemed to be just as perplexed as Lincoln was.

 _What? But no! I...I Can't be...i thought..._

Suddenly it let out a violent scream. The rage was apparent. With the flick of a finger a savage storm erupted in Lincoln's room, destroying many of his things and cutting deep wounds into his arms as he used them to shield his face. The pain was unbearable.

 _Well then...time to formulate a plan b..._

Tears streamed down Lincoln's face. Some from the pain that seared through his whole body. Some from the shock of looking down and seeing his ruined arms and his body smeared with blood. Some from the confusion, his inability to comprehend what was happening. He just wanted to feel safe again. Hang out with Ronnie Anne. Playing around with his sisters. Be comforted by his parents. He turned his head in the direction of the raging being in his room once more and held out his bloody arms.

"I...im d-dreaming, right?"

His tears hindered his ability to speak coherently.

"T-this is all..all just a d-dream, right?"

The thing stopped its stormy assault and turned in his direction.

 _Yes...yes, this was all a dream. Sleep now._

As soon as he heard these words he suddenly felt his drowsiness hitting him like a truck..

 _Sleep. This was all a bad dream. And like all dreams you will barely remember it come morn._

Lincoln lay down in his bed. In his last few seconds he looked around the room once more. It may be because he was so sleepy but he could swear he saw his room setting itself back up. Broken toys repaired themselves and returned to where they belonged. Ripped paper became whole again. He could even feel his pain going away.

As his view shifted to his door, right before he went to sleep, he could see it opening and his sisters, Luna at the front surprisingly, screaming as they saw what he had seen. And just as he, they fell to the ground one after another as someone commanded them to sleep. Maybe it really was all a dream. No, it definitely was. That thought made him happy.

And so, content, he escaped into a deep pleasant slumber.

* * *

When Lincoln woke up he realized, much to his dismay, that his worries still hadn't gone away.

"Damn." He thought, while releasing a morning yawn and stretching his arms. "I should've guessed that its not that easy. Its never that easy."

He got up, greeted the statue beside his bed, and prepared himself for the daily ritual of "making yourself ready in a house with ten sisters." "At least its Saturday..." he thought.

* * *

After everything was said and done he contemplated what he should do today. Clyde was coming around later, but in the meantime might as well spend your time wisely.

After a minute in deep thought he decided to try out if the TV was vacant. The chances were slim to none, but it couldn't hurt to try, right? And for once it actually paid off. The TV-area was completely empty.

Satisfied he plopped down on the couch and used the remote. It seemed as if he had picked just the right time to catch...a Commercial.

"Great..."

A gruff, military sounding voice came from the TV.

 _Hey you there! Sitting on the sofa!_

"Who, me?"

 _Yes, you! Are you in a pinch or in a pickle? Is something bothering you?_

"You can say that again..."

 _Well, then be bothered no more! We have experts in all things pertaining to life just sitting here waiting for your call!_

"Oh, yeah? How are they supposed to help me if my own sister couldn't?"

 _And if you're thinking stuff like "Oh, yeah? How are they supposed to help me if my own sister couldn't?" then stop being such a downer!_

"Point taken...Boy, these commercials get more and more specific each time."

 _Our experts have experience in everything from military, over cooking skills, all the way to love._

Now Lincoln's ears perked up. "Love too?"

 _Yes, love too. We will guarantee you that one call to our hotline will grant your every wish!_

"Well, id love to, but I don't think my parents would allow it..."

 _And don't worry about whether or not your parents#ts would allow it. Because in a limited offer, just today, everyone who calls in the next twenty minutes will have to pay...nothing!_

"Nothing?!"

 _That's right folks, nothing! So don't just sit there staring at the TV-screen like an idiot. Go, go and secure your future!_

"Will do, gruff voice man!"

At this moment Lynn appeared from the direction of the kitchen. She seemed confused.

"Hey Linc, what are you doing?"

 _Just call 555 949-273 and get to living!_

"Lincoln? Im supposed to tell you..."

"Sorry Lynn, Can't right now, gotta go!"

And with that he ran off.

"-that the TV isn't working right now..."

She shook her head, picked up the remote, and turned the staticy TV off.

"That boy gets weirder every day."

* * *

In Lincoln's mind it always took way too long until people answered the phone. It was rather irritating in fact. But if living in a house with ten sisters had thought him one thing it was definitely anyway.

" _Hello my friend! Are you ready to face your future?_!" It was the same voice from the television.

"Yes, I am. I was wondering if you could patch me through to one of your experts?"

"..."

"Your...love experts?..."

" _Well why didn't you say so? One moment!_ "

And sure enough, not a quarter of a minute later a different person answered on the other end of the line. This one was rather softspoken and clearly female.

" _Hello. young man, what can I do for you?_ "

"Yes, hello. My name is Lincoln, and I wanted some relationship advice."

" _Hello, Lincoln, Before we start, let me ask you a question._ "

"Sure, shoot."

" _What is it that you wish to accomplish._ "

"I just want to know how to be a good boyfriend. You see..."

But the woman interrupted him.

" _Well, that may be, but is that really your underlying wish?_ "

"...What do you mean?"

 _"Well it just seems to me that being a good boyfriend isn't the root problem here. Why do you want to be a good boyfriend exactly?_ "

Lincoln furrowed his brow.

"Because there is this gir-"

" _No, no! Describe it to me in one short sentence._ "

Slowly but surely he began to think that maybe this whole thing was a scam. But then again, its free for now, so why not humor them.

"I want to be in a mutually happy relationship."

" _Good, good. And, how long do you want this relationship to last?_ "

Lincoln shrugged.

"I don't know...Forever I guess?"

The other end was silent for a moment.

" _Excellent. That is exactly what I wanted to hear from you. Now could you repeat all that for me?_ "

Lincoln facepalmed.

"*sigh* Alright. I want-"

" _Oh no no no._ "

"Uuurgh, what now?"

" _Our motto is "We help you fulfill your wishes."_ "

"...and?"

"..."

He groaned again.

"Alright, I _wish for you_ you to help me get a relationship going in which both people are happy."

"..."

He rolled his eyes.

"...That lasts as lon-"

" _No no no no. Exact words my friend._ "

"You know I've just about had it wit-"

" _Do you want advice or not?_ "

"...that lasts forever. There, satisfied?"

" _Oh yes, very._ "

"So are you finally gonna listen to what I have to say?..."

" _Of course! Don't hold back._ "

"Alright. So my girlfrie-"

" _Is what I would say, if there wasn't an insane rabid tiger rampaging through our call center at this very moment. Im afraid everyone who could help you has died a gruesome and torturous death. Including myself._ "

"...Are you kidding me right-"

" _Please call again tomorrow._ "

And with that she hung up

After he was finished composing himself Lincoln turned in the direction of his room.

"I get it..." he thought. "They are probably scammers trying to hook people on to their expensive hotlines after a "free" session."

Lincoln sighed. He guessed that they figured since he was just a kid he wouldn't have that much money to give...Still no reason to be dicks about it.

He arrived in his room, closed the door and sat on his bed.

"What a rip-off."

"Ill say."

Lincoln let out a scream. Somehow, it seemed, he had failed to notice the complete stranger sitting on his bed as he entered the room. But sure enough, there he was.

An older fellow, probably in his fifties, long, graying hair and beard that reached to his chest, and wearing some sort of black robe with weird symbols on it. But he didn't really have time to contemplate the strangers appearance as Lincoln hopped out of bed and opened the door in one smooth motion. That is, he tried to open the door, but it wouldn't budge.

The stranger laughed.

"Yes, I should've known that my appearance may be a little intimidating for a child."

His voice was rough, as if he was recovering from a throat injury, and his pronunciation was deliberate and slow.

All that changed however as without warning his form started to twist and turn. He shrunk a head at least, his hair receded until it was barely shoulder length and the gray was replaced by a vibrant brown, while the beard vanished completely. All in all he looked to be about Loris age now, and his voice changed to fit the bill.

"Is that better?"

"Oh, alright."

Lincoln composed himself.

"Im dreaming. Why didn't you say so in the first place?"

"Oh, but you aren't." The now young man said and pointed at Lincoln's left wrist. "See?"

Suddenly a searing pain burst through it, enough to make Lincoln scream, but not a second later it was gone again.

"So...im not dreaming?"

The man shook his grinning head.

"Then...what do you want?"

His voice transformed into that of a familiar sounding woman.

" _You made a wish my friend._ "

"...That was you?..."

He nodded and spoke, this time with his real voice again.

"You made a wish, and I am hear to grant it."

He chuckled lightly.

"Don't worry, you can believe me one thing. Once I'm done here nothing will be the same anymore. You're gonna love it."

He winked.

"Believe me. This is gonna be fun."


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: Sorry for the short chapter and longer wait. I really didnt have that much time lately, and the little time i had i spent exploring the glory that is Nuke World.^^ Anyway, im going back to writing more and faster soon, sorry again. Hope you enjoy this chapter. =)**

* * *

"Are you done yet?"

The wizard was lazily floating in the middle of the room reading one of Lincoln's comics and waiting for him to calm down. He had spent the last twenty minutes trying to come to terms with the fact that magic not only existed, but that there also was a magician floating in his room right now. The wizard himself found this to be rather irritating,

"Let me speed that up for you."

He touched Lincoln's head. Suddenly his thoughts seemed to run at a breakneck pace and he had his inner turmoil resolved in just another few minutes, contrary to the hours, days, or maybe weeks it wouldve taken in real time.

"Huh...Thanks, I guess."

The comic floated back down as the man from the statue yawned and stretched.

"About time."

Lincoln scratched his head. He was still reeling a bit but at least he could form coherent thoughts again. There was one thing he had to know for sure.

"So, you are some kind of genie?"

The man started rotating in a circle as he thought about his answer. It looked quite goofy in Lincoln's opinion but he didn't dare to criticize.

"Its an apt comparison I think. There are some rather noticeable differences of course, but its similar in spirit."

He chuckled.

"Heh, spirit."

Lincoln rolled his eyes.

"Alright, so you're here because I solved the riddle inside this thing Clyde found in his basement."

He pointed at the wooden statue.

"If you could call that a riddle, yes."

Suddenly a long list of names appeared in the mans hand. It was bundled in a roll that looked thicker than an encyclopedia.

"Can you believe that this many people got it wrong? I even have a few on here who filled the first blank wrong. How is that even possible?"

And just like that the list was gone again.

"Seriously, it shocks and amazes me that this is the first time I was summoned since I arrived on this world."

"Okay, okay, but lets not change the topic, alright? You are supposed to grant me a wish?"

"Yes."

"Any wish?"

"Indeed."

"And you say that I have already made that wish?"

"Remember the phone conversation, pal? You even said "I wish"."

"That means you jibbed me!"

He rotated back into an upright position and put his hands up in mock surprise.

"I jibbed you? I simply can't agree."

"You totally did!"

"No, I didn't."

"Yes you did!"

"Yeah, I kinda did."

"Yes you...wait, you admit it?"

He slowly descended back onto his feet before vanishing and startling Lincoln by reappearing right behind him.

"I do. And it was, admittedly, for purely selfish reasons, but I beg you to hear me out."

Lincoln crossed his arms but was willing to listen.

"I had to do it that way. How likely would it have been that you would have made the same wish if you had known about the circumstances?"

"I don't see why it is absolutely necessary for you to help me with some dumb childish problem that only exists in my head. The things I could have wished for..."

He floated back to Lincoln's front and put his hands on his shoulders.

"But that's were you're wrong, my friend."

"How so?"

"I couldn't care less about your romantic problems. I couldn't care less about any of your problems, I have plenty of my own."

"But I thought you just said..."

"It wasn't the subject matter of the wish, it was the time frame."

"...The time frame?"

"Recall my commercial. It said that they would cater to every wish a caller had. Advise in all aspects of life. I did give you a choice. Romance just happened to be the most pressing thing on your mind at that moment."

Lincoln sat back on his bed. Now that he thought about it, the man was right.

"...but why is the time frame important?"

The man floated next to him.

"You see, things didn't exactly go as I had planned. I wont bore you with the details, but lets just say that I was supposed to be free as soon as someone solved the riddle."

"And you arent now?"

He chuckled again. Although this time it was more bitter than amused.

"No. As soon as your wish is granted I will be forced to go back inside the statue, waiting for the next sap trying to free me. No offense."

Lincoln looked at the little figure.

"Would that really be so bad?"

The man stared at Lincoln for a moment before reaching over and touching his head.

"You tell me."

An explosion of pain burst through Lincoln's body. A blood-curdling scream rang from his mouth as his bones shrank and his skin became hard and immobile. After a few hellish minutes the pain was finally over. As his eyes adjusted to their new size he could make out the giant form of the man who not too long ago had been in this exact same position.

He wanted to apologize but as he tried to voice his thoughts he noticed that he couldn't. He couldn't move either. He could still hear though. And smell. And see. As the wizard grabbed him and held him up to his face Lincoln noticed to his growing horror that he could feel as well. Before he had time to think about the implications he was suddenly back on his bed in flesh and blood. He looked at the man.

"How long...have you been like this?"

The man sighed.

"I arrived in this world about...i don't know... about 2000-2500 years or so, give or take? Something like that."

This time it was Lincoln who put a hand on the mans shoulder.

"Dude, I'm sorry. I can't even imagine..."

"Yeah, it was pretty terrible. Roman times weren't that bad though. I spent a considerable amount of time on a soft pillow and was only occasionally dropped."

Lincoln scratched his cheek. The situation was somewhat awkward for him.

"By the way, you can change back into your older...form I guess...if you want. I don't think I'm gonna be intimidated by you anytime soon."

A smile appeared on the mans face.

"Hoo boy, you're going to swallow those words son, believe you me. But no."

He started floating again, stretching his arms and making poses all around.

"I had completely forgotten how good it feels to be in a young body. I spent way too long in that old husk...Still beats that one time I spent six-hundred years as a fat lady though."

At the mention of age Lincoln got curious.

"Uhm, about that...How old are you exactly?"

He turned to lock eyes with Lincoln, his smile stretching into a grin.

"Im so many times your senior I'm not sure a there is a number to express it."

Lincoln waved his hand.

"Come on, you can't be that old."

"Really now? Im older than the universe that this world resides in many times over. Many many many times in fact. Do you want to see how I would look if my body wasn't being kept young by magic? My...true form, if you will?"

Lincoln shrugged.

"Sure, why not."

With that the man began to age. First slowly, then quicker and quicker. The hair became longer and longer, lost more and more color until it fell out completely. His robe slowly dissolved, as his skin wrinkled and eventually fell off to reveal the bone behind. But it didn't stop there. The skeleton slowly became thinner and thinner until it was nothing more than dust. And even the dust broke down into nothing. Lincoln's mouth hung open. Suddenly he heard a familiar voice in his head.

 _Yes, the body is the most fragile thing when it comes to immortality._

 _It has to be constantly maintained or forced into a stasis, like mine._

 _The mind is way more troublesome though. The boredom really gets to you._

 _And over time your morals deteriorate in your quest for entertainment only to reassert themselves stronger than ever when you crossed a line you never imagined crossing._

 _And rather rinse repeat, century after century, millennium after millennium. But its all worth it in the end. At least in my opinion._

 _But why am I telling you this anyway..._

He suddenly appeared again in his teenage body, arm slumped around Lincoln's shoulder.

"...when you will go through the same thing soon enough anyway. Look forward to it."

It took him a while for that sentence to register in Lincoln's brain. But when it did...

"Wait, wait, wait, what do you mean by that?"

"I meant what I said. The time frame, remember? You want to be in an relationship that lasts forever. And of course I have to stick around to ensure it does, no?"

Lincoln was still struggling to understand.

"What? How? When?"

"In that order: You won the lottery my friend. A lifetime supply...of life. Heh."

He chuckled again.

"I really am a comedic genius. I should be writing these down."

He shook his head.

"But anyway: With magic. And lastly: It is already done."

Lincoln looked down at his hands.

"It is?"

"Yes. Once you turn twenty your body will stop aging. And don't worry. Your brain will hold all relevant memories. In fact, you should already be able to benefit from your vastly improved memory. Give it time."

"Im...immortal?"

"You can still be killed by conventional means, so no. You are ageless, not invincible. But that's why I'm here, right? Im your shield."

Lincoln continued to stare at his hands, closing and opening them now and then.

"And its not just you."

He turned his head to look at the wizard.

"Whoever the lucky girl, dude or vaguely human looking sentient mold-creature you chose to be your amore will share this incredible gift with you. I would even be willing to extend it to the rest of your family as a show of goodwill. Wouldn't want you to be lonely."

"So...that means..."

"It means that you will have plenty of time to do anything you want. Also you may have to change your identity every fifty years or so. But its really simpler than it sounds. So my boy, what do you think?"

Lincoln looked up, a huge smile plastered on his face.

"Awesome!"

The wizard smiled as well.

"Excellent."


	5. Chapter 5

**AN:Team Skull is hilarious. That is all.**

* * *

"But your majesty, I beg you to reconsider. At least hear them out."

The imperial minister was fidgety. His liege hadn't quite been himself for weeks and it was starting to take a toll on the imperium he had worked so hard to build.

"Ramsey...havent I told you that I don't have time to deal with these "rebels" right now. Let them play around. Im busy."

The old appearance of the emperor was of course of magical nature, the minister knew that, but for the first time since he had taken the job it genuinely seemed like his ruler was as tired and weary as he looked.

"But sir. They have convinced nearly all of New Acadia that you are an incompetent fool. We already had riots."

" _*sigh*_ What is with the rest of my lands?"

"You are as popular as ever sir, but please, New Acadia is the second biggest country on the continent. The sentiment could easily sway."

The emperor stood up from his desk and made his way to the window

"Do you really think I should do something about this?"

"I implore you, sir."

"Alright then."

He waved his hand, red sparks appearing briefly.

"Let the battlemages pick up the bodies and keep the peace. Now go and don't disturb me again."

The ministers face went pale.

"S-sir, please. I meant you should talk to them. Hear them out. Not kill them!"

"Ramsey, you said I should do something about this and I did."

"B-but the populace...they wont stand for this."

He waved his hand again.

"There, now our battlemages will find compelling evidence that the rebels have used mind control to sway their supporters. Murder justified."

The ministers mouth hung open.  
"Oh, and I kept the rebel leaders alive, so do me a favor and schedule a public execution for both. Start a lottery too. Whoever wins gets to be the executioner. The masses love that kind of spectacle. Now go."

Ramsey bowed down as deep as he could.

"Yes, sir. Of course, sir. It will be done, sir."

As soon as the door closed the emperor sat back down at his desk and closed his arms around his neck. With all the power he possessed, all the things he could do, the one thing he actually wanted was still so very far outside his grasp.

His patience was wearing thin, and for someone who was as old as he patience was present in spades. He put his hand in the neck-hole of his robe and pulled out the pendant that hung around his neck. In the tiny mirror a small figure could be seen. He looked down upon it in nostalgia.

What would you do in a situation like this? He thought. What indeed...

He sighed and prepared to get back to his research. But he didn't come very far as suddenly the room was spinning around him. He knew exactly what that was. A teleportation spell advanced enough to get past his castle's defenses was nothing to sneeze at. He could've countered it of course, but he decided to humor whoever did this. It was a welcome change of pace.

His surroundings began to change and after a few seconds he found himself in an unfamiliar room. He wasn't alone though. With him were a wide variety of other creatures, most of them humanoid, all of them sleeping. This intrigued him. The next thing he felt was something drawing his magic out of him. As he surveyed the room he noticed them. Hundreds upon hundreds of advanced sapping runes. Enough to drain his whole army of battlemages of their power twice over. To him it was more of a mild inconvenience though.

A light drowsiness took hold of him. Someone obviously thought a simple sleep spell would be able to affect him. Cute. With nary a thought he dispelled the hex. But as he was intrigued by the situation as a whole he decided to play along. He looked around for a free and comfortable spot and sat down leaning against the wall and burying his head in his knees. Now it was time to find out why exactly he was taken, which was probably the least of his problems.

All he had to do for now was wait.

* * *

"Heh, I actually really like these comics. The card gimmick is interesting."

"I know, right? And there is much more where that comes from."

Lincoln wondered if now was the right time to ask, but then shrugged and did it anyway.

"So what's your name anyway?"

The wizard put the comic down.

"My name? I don't see how that's important. But I guess if you insist."

He held out his hand.

"Im founder and grand emperor Liam the Graceful of the all-encompassing glorious Imperium Scientia, Archmage of the Imperial College for Spells and Hexes of all Kinds, High Judge of the Imperial Courts, Grand General of the Imperial Army of Battlemages, and I won a spelling bee once too."

Lincoln shook his hand.

"Wow...thats a lot of titles."

"Oh, I only gave you the important ones."

"The spelling bee...?"

"Only the important ones."

"Alright...Your imperial majesty?"

The wizard waved his hand dismissively.

"Oh no, just call me Liam, were all equals here. Except were not because I'm your better in almost every way. But both our names start with an L, so I guess that counts."

"Yeah, thanks...i guess...Liam?"

"No problem Lincoln. I live to serve."

Lincoln still didn't know what to make of this man. But there were some things he was curious about.

"So, how come you only appeared today? I mean, I solved the riddle yesterday."

A new comic floated up into the wizards hands and he began lazily reading while he answered.

"Oh, I spent the time wisely. Your world has an interesting thing called "Internet". I used it to inform myself about your world. Im no expert by any means, but I should have at least common knowledge about its workings."

He turned the comic around to look at a spread.

"And let me say, your world is at the same time fascinating and the most boring thing ever."

Lincoln raised an eyebrow.

"How do you figure that?"

"Well for one thing, back home electricity is only a tool to hurt someone. Lightning magic is almost all purely battlemage stuff. But you use it for so many other things. Its quite interesting."

"So you guys have no TV or radio or cellphones where you come from? And you say my world is boring."

He lowered the comic a bit to peek at Lincoln before raising it back up.

"That's the thing though. Pretty much everything you guys have, we have too. Just better."

Now Lincoln was confused.

"But how is that possible?"

"Well, everything you do with different electronic devices when it comes to entertainment and communication we do with these."

Suddenly five small palm sized mirrors floated out of Liam's robe pocket and came to a standstill hovering in a ring around his neck.

"You use mirrors?"

"Yep. We can do almost anything with these."

One of the mirrors floated towards Lincoln who picked it up. Suddenly a mouth appeared inside the mirror. Curios he touched the mirror where the lips were reflected. Suddenly the mouth moved and Liam's voice came out.

" _We can use them like phones_."

As Lincoln looked down the mouth changed to an eye. Once again he touched it and this time the whole picture changed. It showed the same thing he could have seen by moving his head a little to the right: Liam hovering in midair, reading one of Lincoln's comics. Liam looked directly at...the camera Lincoln guessed?`

"We can use them like video cameras."

Suddenly the picture froze.

"And photo cameras too."

Lincoln was amazed.

"We also have what we call "Mirrages", which are our equivalent to your video games. And there are many other used for them too."

He looked up at the floating man.

"Like what?"

"Lots of boring professional things."

Suddenly he got an idea. He floated the comic on the bed, marking where he had stopped for later, and hovered next to Lincoln. Suddenly the mirror floated out of his hand and enlarged until it was the size of a flat-screen TV.

"Whoa..."

"But there is one thing I can show you that is pretty amazing. I only recently perfected this spell, and at my age that says a lot."

Lincoln was pumped.

"So what are you going to show me?"

"Parallel universes. Does the term mean anything to you?"

He thought back to that one dream he had.

"Yeah, I know what you mean. And you can look into them?"

"Oh, I don't know."

The reflection began to change.

"Can I?"

Lincoln couldn't believe his eyes. The scene had changed into some kind of backstage area. In the background he could see...himself. Himself and all of his sisters plus his parents, all holding some kind of musical instrument (except Leni who was holding a stethoscope), and all dressed in some kind of ridiculous costume. Right before him though was Luna. The way she was positioned it seemed like she was looking into a mirror herself, and it also seemed like she could see him. That was confirmed when she waved enthusiastically.

"They can't hear us right now. We would have to open a portal for that and my power is somewhat limited at the moment."

Lincoln nodded, but he only barely heard what Liam had said because he focused on what was beside Luna. It was Liam. But he wasn't in his teenage body. It wasn't his old one either, somewhere in between. And instead of the black robe he wore some kind of weird leather costume with plenty of ridiculous make up to boot (The costume still had the same symbols as the robe though. Old habits die hard he guessed.). It was very reminiscent of Smooch, but it looked pretty strange.

"I guess she was the lucky one to free me in that universe. Sorry pal, we can't be winners all the time."

Before Lincoln could respond he saw mirror-Luna exhale onto the glass fogging it up a little. Then she used her finger to write.

 _Hey Bro. Congrats on the genie, dude._

Lincoln stared for a second before he felt Liam shove his shoulder lightly. At the prompt he copied what Luna did and wrote a message of his own.

 _Thanks sis, you too. Good Luck with the concert!_

His mirror-sister grinned widely and made two thumbs up before she seemed to hear something. She waved goodbye and left behind the curtain with the rest of her mirror-family. Mirror-Liam stayed behind however and waved at his counterpart.

With the wave of his hand a message of glowing letters appeared before mirror Liam.

 _You are looking good my friend. I like what you did with your robe._

Mirror-Liam responded in kind as a message appeared in Lincoln's room.

 _Not as good as you, bro. The age lift looks totally dope man. Stay fresh!_

And with that he vanished. Lincoln felt a bit of second hand embarrassment.

Liam pointed towards the message which slowly dissolved.

"This man...this man is a gentleman AND a scholar. Im so proud."

Lincoln could've sworn he saw a tear forming in the wizards eye but before he could confirm the mirror shrunk back down and took his place around Liam's neck again.

"What a guy...Anyway, mirrors are awesome was what I meant to say."

"Don't worry, I believe you. So...what do we do now?"

He clapped his hands together.

"Well, I think the first order of business should be informing myself about my client."

"Wait, but I thought you already..."

"I informed myself about the world, not your life. I know this may be hard to hear but...those two are not one and the same."

Lincoln frowned.

"I know that...but how are we gonna do this? Should I just tell you everything about me?"

Liam looked shocked at just the thought.

"Oh, heavens no. Have you any idea how long that would take? No, I would like your permission to draw the knowledge out of your brain."

"...What?"

"You heard me. Or have you become deaf? Cause if you have please tell me so I can laugh at your expense."

"...Youre a real nice guy, you know?"

"Hey, I would've healed you afterwards. I just like having a good laugh."

Lincoln shook his head.

"Alright, alright. Is this brain thing going to hurt?"

"Nah, not the way I do it. I could use the textbook version though, that one is very painful. My perfected one will merely leave you dizzy for a few seconds."

The boy breathed in and out hard.

"I guess...but make it quick, alright?"

"I wouldn't do it slowly if you wanted me to. I've got shit to do."

Lincoln prepared himself as Liam put a hand on his head. Suddenly he saw blue mist coming from his mouth and nose every time he breathed out. He followed it with his eyes and saw it traveling into the open palm of Liam's other hand where it vanished.

With every breath he felt weaker and weaker. His vision became blurry. He didn't know how long it went on but eventually Liam's hand left his head. As promised he felt dizzy for a few seconds but recovered almost as quick. Lincoln shook his head.

"So...now you know everything about me, huh?"

Liam smiled.

"Pretty much, yeah. Your mind is quite clean though. I have done this hundreds of thousands of times and believe me...the stuff I've seen."

He chuckled.

"You're kind of a wet blanket in comparison."

"...Im just gonna take that as a compliment. So, nothing interesting about my life, huh?"

"No, not really. There are some kind of specific similarities we both share though."

Lincoln looked surprised.

"Really, like what? And what do you think it means?"

The wizard chuckled again.

"It means nothing at all. It happens every so often, patterns and all that. I just find it amusing when it happens."

"Oh, alright."

He sounded a little disappointed.

"So, what are the similarities?"

"Oh, nothing much. We both have multiple sisters, and only sisters. Also all your names start with an L, just like ours."

"Wow, really?"

"Yes, but that's where it ends already. And even those similarities arent all that great. I only have three sisters, and instead of being a middle child I'm the big brother. And the L-thing is an ancient family tradition that held a lot of political significance once upon a time. Your parents are just weird i guess."

"Man, you must've lived quite the life, huh?"

A third chuckle.

"You can say that again. But lets not talk about me. How about you introduce me to your family?"

Licoln made a shocked expression.

"What?! Do you really think that's a good idea? You are kind of...magic."

"Oh, don't worry, Lincoln. They wont even know I'm there."


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: Since my last chapters were so short, heres an extra long one. Hope you guys are still enjoying this. Can understand if you dont though. =)**

* * *

"So, my friend, are you ready?"

Lincoln shrugged.

"I guess. SO are you invisible to others or something?"

"You got it. Im indeed invisible to anyone who did not solve my statues riddle. But even if I weren't it wouldn't really matter in this case."

"What do you mean?"

He smiled.

"What do I mean? Well haven't you wondered why none of your sisters have shown up yet even though there have been some rather noisy moments since I appeared?"

The boy scratched his chin.

"Now that I think about it..."

"If you want to know why just open the door."

Even though Lincoln was a bit hesitant he eventually did as he was told. The scene in the hallway was nothing special. Luna was standing in front of her door, ready to rock; Lola was admiring herself in her pocket mirror; Lana was slipping on a banana peel with Luan standing behind her laughing; and Lily had just thrown her diaper away once again. All in all a typical day in the Loud house.

What wasn't as typical was the fact that everything was frozen in place. Lana even was in a diagonal position between having slipped on something but not yet hit the ground and Lily's diaper was floating in midair.

Liam appeared behind him, startling him once again. He was getting almost as bad as Lucy now.

"Lets just say I wanted to make sure that we had enough time to discuss things without being interrupted."

"You mean its still..."

"From their perspective you have just entered your room in a huff just a few minutes ago."

"Wow..."

Lincoln went over to Lana and inspected her from all directions. The spell had captured that one perfect moment where you are about to hit the ground, have realized that its gonna hurt but also that you can't do anything about it.

"So...Now what? Do you want me to tell you about my sisters?"

The floating wizard rolled his eyes.

"Do I? Do you think I want that, really? Didn't it maybe occur to you that I already know everything you would have had to say since I scanned your mind?"

The boy frowned.

"You could really stand to be a bit nicer, you know?"

Liam sighed.

"Yeah, I know. Sorry pal. I know I can be difficult sometimes..or all the time really. Just don't let me get under your skin, alright? Its just how I am. Im very thankful that you have freed me from that godsforsaken statue, believe me."

Lincoln showed a small smile.

"Alright. Just try to be a bit more agreeable in the future."

"Trying I can do."

He surveyed the time-frozen room.

"So what do you want to do now?"

"To do the best I can I have to be informed about all aspects of your life. So I though it best just to repeat what I just did to you with your sisters."

"Whoa whoa whoa, hold on a minute. You want to scan my sisters brains too? Don't you think that's a little inappropriate?"

The wizard shrugged.

"No? Why should I? Is it because they didn't agree themselves?"

"...Thats one of the reasons, yeah."

Liam disappeared in a flash and appeared beside Lincoln, arm around the boys shoulder again.

"Lincoln. Why should that matter? Do you think I could use whatever secret thoughts or hidden agendas they have against them? Im on your side pal. Im not even corporeal, so I don't know how I even could use any information I gather to inconvenience your family or cause them harm. And how would that benefit me anyway?"

"I see what you mean but..."

"And before you start with the "your invading their privacy" thing: I will not tell anyone anything I learn. Not even you, if you don't want."

"Yeah, but..."

"And the chance of me judging them for anything is next to zero."

"...Are you sure? I may not have any weird or disturbing dark secrets but some of my sisters..."

"Are older and are therefore bound to have some?"

He nodded. Liam moved before him, locking eyes with the boy.

"Lincoln, I have scanned the mind of someone once who kidnapped women, kept them prisoner, raped them until they got pregnant, and then cannibalized the mother with the baby a week before birth, slowly while they were still alive."

Lincoln's mouth hung open.

"And he did it to satisfy the conditions of an ancient ritual he read in an antique foreign spell-book which he translated so horribly that the spell he was trying to cast didn't even work in the end. So you can believe me that whatever private thoughts or secrets your sisters have I will be the last person to judge them for any of it."

Lincoln shook his head violently to get the horrible images out of his head. After a while he calmed down enough to speak again.

"...Alright, alright. But do the painless one, okay?"

Liam shook his head.

"Im afraid that's impossible. My improved version is dependent on the target giving the information voluntarily through his breathing. Since your sisters aren't breathing right now I can only extract it forcefully."

Lincoln crossed his arms.

"Well I guess you can forget it then."

"Awww, that's cute. The protective brother sticking up for his sisters."

Lincoln knew the wizard had said that to mock him, but it just made him more confident.

"That's right!"

"Then don't worry you clod. They don't breathe, that's true, but they can't feel pain right now either."

Suddenly Lincoln's stored confidence deflated.

"Oh...right."

"Moro..."

Liam began, but caught himself in the last moment.

"...Sorry."

"Hey, at least your learning."

He turned once more to face the scene.

"Who do you want to start with?"

"While I'm most interested in that "Lisa" person, I suppose we should start with the ones who are present."

With that he floated beside Lola and lay a hand on her forehead.

"Right..."

Lincoln followed to witness the spectacle. Once again he saw mist, but it was a lighter color than his own had been. And instead of being puffed out bit by bit it was streaming out of Lola's nose and the gap in her teeth en masse. It looked violent enough for Lincoln to squint, but he reminded himself that she couldn't feel the pain which eased his mind.

"Hooo boy, this ones a gem!"

Liam said after he was finished. Lincoln just raised an eyebrow.

"Really? What makes you say that?"

"Imagine her grown up. A pretty face on the outside, a cunning, vicious schemer on the inside. She would fit in perfectly in the imperial noble-court."

"...And that's a good thing?"

"Let me just give you some advice: If you keep yourself in her good graces during childhood, she will be a very useful ally in later life. People like her go places."

"Ill...keep that in mind, thanks."

"Good. You have nothing to worry about though. This family seems to be a lot more functional that it has any right to be. At least that's what I got from the two minds I sampled thus far."

Lincoln couldn't help but feel a bit of pride at that statement.

"So, is Lana next?"

"Might as well be."

Lincoln had to admit that the whole procedure looked a bit more comical in Lana's position.

"Nice. Nothing too remarkable here. She will probably reap the most benefits from her sisters future station. If Lola plays her cards right I could even see Lana getting away with murder."

He stared at the wizard for a moment.

"...What?"

"I thought you didn't want to know about your daaark seeecreeets."

"You can't seriously tell me that..."

"Of course not you dolt! If she had shed been found out by now. She's just a child."

Lincoln let out a sigh of relief. Not that he had doubted Lana, but with all the weird stuff happening lately he wasn't sure what to think.

"But the potential is certainly there. Wait fifteen or so years, then you can worry."

Before Lincoln could respond Liam had already moved on to the next target. Just as he went to follow he heard a voice in his head.

 _Don't you want to help your sister?_

He looked at Lana for a few seconds before he understood.

"Can I even touch her like that?"

"Of course you can. Just be gentle."

Lincoln nodded and got to work. He put his arms around Lana and slowly lowered her on the ground. Now when time started again she wouldn't feel any pain. Satisfied he walked beside Liam before he noticed where they were.

"You're gonna do Lily too?"

"...Nah. I considered it, but its too risky. Her body might not be able to endure the strain."

"...Thanks for holding back then."

"No problem."

With that he went on to Luna. When Lincoln joined him after putting Lily's diapers back on the wizard was already done.

"Man, I don't envy the other Liam. He really drew the short straw there."

"Hey! Luna may be difficult sometimes but she's still a great person!"

He eyed Lincoln.

"Hey there short stuff, calm down. She's just not the type of person I gel with personally. You should though. Like Lola she may make it big one day."

"I don't know why you're always talking like I have to chose. Ill be close with all my sisters in the future, nothing will change there."

Liam smiled.

"Oh poor naive Lincoln. Believe me, I have seen big families like this countless times. Once people start to move out there gonna get their own life's, their own problems. They'll still socialize from time to time, but you'll never be as close as you are now."

A lump formed in Lincoln's stomach.

"I...i know that's how it usually goes, but that doesn't mean..."

"Hey hey, cool it. Im your pal Lincoln, you know that. One word from you and I can arrange it that you guys never lose contact."

"...Really?"

"Yeah. Its really simple too. I can even make it so you're all going to keep living together. Ill even throw in a house that has more than one bathroom."

Suddenly it felt like a huge weight had been lifted from Lincoln's shoulders. The thought of breaking apart from his family at some point must have bothered him more than he had realized. He looked up at Liam with a genuine smile.

"Thanks. That would be great."

"Everything for you pal."

He floated towards Luan and began the procedure. While waiting for it to finish Lincoln decided to ask a few questions.

"So you said you had three sisters too, right?"

"Right."

"Did you lose contact with them at some point?"

This made him laugh.

"You could say that. I barely knew the two youngest. My other sister, we were actually getting along pretty well. But then she made a choice for herself. A choice that benefited only herself. And that's were it all fell apart."

Lincoln was silent for a moment.

"...What happened?"

"Lets just say..."

The boy flinched a bit at the sheer venom and bitterness the wizards voice suddenly portrayed.

"...that no matter how good you think you're getting along with your family members, always make sure your back is well protected when its in their reach. Could save you a lot of hassle in the future."

Before Lincoln could say anything the mind scan was finished and Liam's returned to his chipper self again.

"Hah, this is a girl after my own heart! Her comedy business would probably crash and burn in a normal timeline, and shed be forced into some boring office job that leeches the life out of her, but luckily I am here."

"...And what is that supposed to mean?..."

"Oh no, you're getting the wrong idea there lad. Its not like I'm going to force people to laugh at her jokes or something. All I'm saying is that if she makes it big as a comedian now, great. But if she doesn't she's gonna be in a household with ten other working contributors, so she will still be able to pursue her calling even if it wouldn't pay the bills."

"I guess your right...I still think she has a decent chance to become popular on her own though."

"You keep telling yourself that."

"I will."

Liam shook his head and floated to one of the closed rooms. Lincoln almost collided with the door as his wizard friend passed through right in front of him, but managed to catch himself at the last second.

Inside Lynn and Lucy's room it was businesses as usual as well. Lynn was in the process of dressing up for the distinguished sport known as "Basket-Crickball La Soccross" and Lucy was working on one of her usual cheerful poems. The magic man settled down beside Lynn and got to work himself. As they waited Lincoln tried to pass the time with small talk.

"So...did you use your time powers when you surfed the internet?"

"...What?"

"I mean, the internet is a large, scary place,, full of dead ends, pitfalls, and poisonous traps. It must've taken you a while to sift through all of it."

He rolled his eyes once more. Lincoln was starting to get used to that.

"Are you maybe some kind of reta...Sorry."

Lincoln just waved it off.

"What I mean is, of course I didn't do that. I used this spell right here."

"The brain scan?"

"Its not a brain scan. It copies information from one source to another. The only difference is that I was absorbing a whole bunch of lightning - which was not very pleasant, by the way - instead of the gas I do from you guys. Speaking of..."

He removed his hand from Lynn's forehead, as a big smile appeared on his face.

"Aaaawww, how cute. You two are actually pals."

"...Are you going to mock me every time I get along with one of my sisters?..."

"How do you figure I'm mocking you?"

Lincoln just looked at him.

"This time I mean. Because I'm really not. It reminds me of some of the children I used to take care of at the grand palace. Little rascals. Just like that one."

With that he floated over to Lucy and did his thing. After he was done he smiled and shook his head.

"Oh dear. She thinks she's so troubled when she barely knows what having real problems is like."

After hearing that Lincoln said the first thing that came to mind.

"Yeah, like you're one to talk."

He hadn't meant anything by it. But that didn't seem to matter to Liam. The wizard turned around, face completely serious.

"And what's that supposed to mean, Lincoln?"

The boy grew slightly nervous and backed off a bit.

"Uhm...N-nothing., really. Its just with your amazing power, and your talk of grand palaces and nobility, you don't really seem to be poster child of what having real problems is like either...I-is all I'm saying..."

"Lincoln...you may have not noticed it before, since I'm so amazingly subtle about it, but I have a teensy tiny problem with a thing called "Arrogance." "

"O-oh really now? I ha-haven't noticed!"

"You flatter, but we both know that is not true. If you haven't noticed when we peered into that alternate universe, the Liam from that world changed himself to conform with Luna as best he could. I, in contrast, decided to be honest with you. And really, honesty is all I expect in return."

"O-okay...you really can be kind of a...douche sometimes. Sorry."

"No, no, I know that full well. But do you know why I am such a "douche" ?"

"Uhm..."

"No matter! I was going to tell you. But I decided to show you instead."

Lincoln was confused.

"Really? How?"

"Follow me."

With that he flew out of the room, Lincoln directly behind him. They stopped inside his oldest siblings shared room. Lori was sitting on her bed talking with Bobby, like always, while Leni was kneeling on the other side of the bed painting her sisters toe-nails. Another rather common sight. Liam waited for Lincoln to enter the room and pointed at the sister with the sunglasses.

"You are going to do that one."

"...Me?"

He nodded.

"But...but I'm no wizard. I can barely process the thoughts in my own brain, how the heck am I supposed to process Lenis?"

"Well, firstly, you aren't. Im going to receive the information, like usual. Its just a slight modification."

"...Alright. Why and how?"

"You'll see. And to cast a spell you really only need a handful of things. Some of which aren't available in this world, its true, but that's what I'm here for, no?"

Lincoln's heart was racing. He couldn't believe that he was actually going to use magic. Real magic! It seemed so ludicrous to him. But he was pumped nonetheless.

"A warning though. You are not going to cast this spell like I did."

His excitement dropped a little.

"What? Why not?"

"Because you are going to do it like any beginner would. Im going to give you a little taste of what learning to cast spells is like."

He put a hand on Lincoln's shoulder. Lincoln's was okay with that in principle, but it did get a little weird when the wizard wouldn't let go again.

"Uuhm...Liam?"

"The first thing you need is something that is not natural in your world. You need a body that has magic energy coursing through it like blood in your veins. The only way to naturally achieve that is by growing up in a world were magic is has a significant presence. For the purposes of this demonstration I will let you use my own magic pool."

The boys eyes grew wide.

"Yes, my magical resources are immense, but that has two disadvantages. First: I will have to stay in direct contact with your body the whole time. Should you shake me lose while you are drawing from my essence I will not be able to regulate it any longer, which will cause your body to become oversaturated with magic. This leads to a rather nasty disease that even I only recently found a cure for."

He gulped.

"More than that, this sickness is highly contagious to any non-magical beings. So you would not only doom yourself, but your whole family too."

Now he was scared.

"But don't worry. Just stay calm and nothing will happen. I promise."

This reassured him a little bit, but there was still something he wanted to know.

"And the other disadvantage?"

"Oh yeah. That one is way less serious than the last, but it is something that I want you to keep in mind, alright?"

He waited until Lincoln bobbed his head up and down.

"There are some things that will make this whole procedure way way easier than it would be back where I come from. You using my personal body of magic is one of them. Understand?"

"Yeah..."

"Alright. Then get up on the bed and kneel before your sister."

"Kneel? Really?"

"You are going to use magic for the first time. Your body will be appropriately exhausted during that process. I wouldn't want to stand when that happens. Your choice though."

Lincoln understood and did as he was asked. As soon as he was on his knees he suddenly felt like he owned the universe. He felt like he could pulverize someone by giving them a stern look, and like he could benchpress the planet and still make it home before breakfast. But he knew the power he had was not his to use. And after hearing what rash actions may lead to, he decided to stay put and wait for instructions.

"To channel your magic, you need a catalyst. There are nine catalysts in total, though the last one, the body, can only be used after all others have been mastered. As young adults we get to choose which catalyst we want to specialize in. I chose mirrors, so that is what you will use."

One of the mirrors that were still floating around his neck set itself down before Lincoln and grew until it was as big as both his hands put together. He could see his reflection as he looked at it.

"All magic is channeled into runes. Every spell is made up of one or more symbols from the rune alphabet. Spells with more than two runes are known as "Advanced Spells". The information absorption spell is made up of three runes. Look at them."

Three symbols appeared in Lincoln's mind. They were pretty elaborate, sure didn't look like any letters he'd ever seen. Each looked more like multiple letters combined into a jumbled mess.

"The rune alphabet consists of 349 basic runes. Any rune can be combined with any other to form an advanced rune. Our children learn to memorize the rune alphabet in elementary school. It usually takes four to five years to complete."

Suddenly Lincoln felt like he was at school. He wasn't prepared for this.

"While this is an advanced spell, it is the easiest and the only one with only three runes, so shouldn't be too hard."

"...What do I have to do?"

Suddenly the three runes in his mind were replaced with a bigger picture of the first rune.

"This is the rune for "Information". Concentrate on the energy inside you and guide it to one of your fingers. Once you have done this, draw the rune on the mirror. Be as accurate as possible and remember to leave space for the other two."

Lincoln did as he was told and concentrated. After a few seconds he saw a little light emerging from his right index finger. Immediately he went to draw the rune onto the mirror. But almost as soon as he began he could feel resistance.

"I said be as accurate as possible."

"I am!"

"That's just the thing with runes. If you aren't precise to the millimeter it wont let you progress."

"Well what am I supposed to do then?!"

He chuckled.

"Just keep doing what you're doing. Every beginner does it like that. Brute force."

Lincoln tried and tried, and even though he did make some progress, it was only millimeter by millimeter.

"Oh man, this is going to take forever!"

"Keep at it. We are going to be here until you have successfully cast your first spell."

He knew from the tone of Liam's voice that there was no use in arguing. So he got his mind in the right place and started again.

* * *

"...THERE! There you have it! All three of them! Are you happy now?!"

"Quite."

Lincoln could just feel the smirk coming from his voice.

"Bravo. You really put your all into this, didn't even speak a word until you were done. Kudos."

"Thanks."

He was exhausted. Never before in his life had he reached that stage of concentration. He wiped some sweat from his brow.

"How long did it take anyway? It felt like I was at it for at least an hour or two."

"To be honest it was more like four or five."

The boy cocked his head in disbelief.

"Per rune."

"Now I know your joshing me."

"Im not. The power of focus. Time goes by like nothing. I may have helped a bit though. Still, you were quicker than the average student."

Liam poofed a book into his hand, opened it and shoved it in Lincoln's face. It was a textbook describing the very spell they were working on. And at the bottom it said in thick letters:

 _ **Average Casting Time Per Rune : 6 Hours**._

"Im actually impressed. You certainly beat my first time. It took me 9 hours to get it right."

"Really?"

"Yeah. And that was one of my good days. Nevermind that though. Now begins the next step. To actually cast the spell you have to chant the name of all present runes in quick succession. This wont take nearly as long though, don't worry."

Written names appeared in Lincoln's mind. Just like the runes themselves, their names were almost unintelligible.

"How am I supposed to...? Where are the vocals?"

"Just do it to the best of your ability."

And so he did. He concentrated on the runes before him, being slightly proud of his accomplishment, and tried to pronounce the unpronounceable. After babbling like an idiot for about hal an hour it finally seemed to work. One by one the runes started to glow.

"Now quickly, touch your sister. Anywhere is fine, as long as its skin."

Lincoln grabbed Lenis arm. And then it began. But to his great disappointment, instead of the swath of mist that came out from the others, only a slight trickle escaped from his sisters nose.

"...Is this so underwhelming because its Leni, or am I doing something wrong?..."

The trickle slowly vanished in Liam's outstretched hand.

"Its neither, my friend. This is all that you can accomplish."

His heart sunk. Suddenly the mist vanished, together with the runes. And as Liam removed his hand from Lincoln's shoulder he could feel all the power he had slowly draining away.

"But how do you do it? Are you just that talented? Seems a little unfair..."

The wizard shook his head.

"Its the contrary actually. Back when I was a beginner I was known far and wide for my lack of talent."

Lincoln raised his eyebrow.

"Really? You?"

A nostalgic look appeared on Liam's face.

"Yes. A scion from one of the most influential and powerful noble families in the republic: a talentless hack. My parents even tried to keep me locked up in the mansion out of shame. "You will never be successful. Better stay in here were you can't harm our reputation. Its for your own good, really." Lovely people, right?"

He smiled at Lincoln.

"Boy did I prove them wrong, didn't I? You wanted to know how I do it? I can tell you."

He motioned for Lincoln to move and took his place as soon as the boy did.

"To master a spell, one has to do a specific set of things - in order - to succeed. First is the rune crafting."

Lincoln wished he had something to write all this down on.

"You remember how long it took you? Do you want to know what you have to do to speed it up?"

He nodded eagerly.

"Practice. You have to draw the runes again and again until you can paint each in one stroke. Remember you have to be precise to the millimeter. Then you have to practice the speed. Once you are able to draw each rune in under a second, you can move on. As this spell has three runes, I have to paint all of them in under three seconds. Observe."

With an ease and swiftness he didn't think possible Liam produced in a few seconds what had taken him apparently fifteen hours to do.

"And I didn't enhance myself with magic either. You can't do that for casting spells. If you try to cheat, the spell will be rendered unachievable for you. For life."

He picked up the mirror and showed it to Lincoln.

"This whole process takes a pretty long time. Really talented people complete it in a few months. I myself, slow and clumsy as I am, have never managed it in under three years."

He put the mirror back down.

"Next, the name. Same principle, different reward. Believe it or not, the runes are just as hard to pronounce for us mage folk as for you guys. Learning the pronunciation of a spell is easier than learning to craft the runes, but its still a lengthy process. Takes me usually about a year for the short ones."

"Alright. But how is the reward different?"

"Ha ha, yes, I was getting to that. Once you can pronounce the all runes perfectly the reward is...that you no longer have to."

"Come again?"

"Once you can pronounce the spell you are allowed to think the chant, instead of having to say it out loud. And in your mind its enough to picture the written word. Its way faster too."

"That's...convenient."

"Indeed. You still have to craft the runes though. The next step in mastering a spell is understanding it. You see, the people who invented the runes were a philosophical people. And every rune, basic and advanced, is a metaphor for a specific aspect of life. They also function as a code to live by, but well get to that."

"So you have to understand the meaning of the runes? Sounds easy enough..."

"That's right. It sounds easy enough. It isn't though. You have to completely and fully understand what the creator of the rune intended when he made it. How it relates to the life they were living, and to the life you are living. If it is still valid today, or if it ever was. And not only that, you also have to understand how the runes relate to each other. Every rune is there for a purpose, and you have to decipher why."

Lincoln's head began to hurt.

"Sounds complicated..."

"It is. Its my least favorite part too. Takes me usually just as long as the runecrafting itself. But once you have understood everything perfectly, you can now use the spell to its full potential."

"Ooooh, so that's why I barely got a reaction..."

"Right. The more you understand the stronger it is. Of course it also scales with your personal magical power. So yours would still be way less effective than mine."

"...Right. And that's it?"

"What? No. Now we come to the actual mastering."

"Oh boy..."

"Yeah. Remember how each rune represents a way of life? To really master a spell you have to show that you are willing to abide by its rules. Which means living life the way each rune describes one after another, a year each."

"...What?"

"Its horrible. This spell for example. The first rune is the rune for information, right? The way of life it describes is a life were you always make informed decisions."

"That doesn't sound too bad."

"Its a nightmare. It took me six tries to master that rune. You have to be informed about everything you do. Everything! When you wake up in the morning and grab a cereal you have to know what is inside the cereal, where it comes from, who manufactured it, which store sold it, if the worker who packaged your batch was careful while handling it, and if not why that is. Same concept for absolutely everything. It is infuriating."

"...I can imagine..."

"But once you are finished with all runes you get the ultimate price: You can simply cast the spell just like that. No runecrafting. No chanting, not even in your mind. Nothing. All that is needed is the catalyst."

"...So that's how you do it. Wow, I-"

The wizard raised his hands.

"Whoa there, I wasn't finished yet. Obviously I am casting the spells with my body, right?"

Lincoln nodded.

"But to cast a spell with your body, you have to master it a total of eight times. One for each catalyst. Luckily the only thing that is different for each catalyst is the runecrafting, but that is also usually one of the longest processes to learn."

"So you have to do all that just to master a spell?"

He nodded, smiling.

"Yes. And that was just one spell. Let me tell you a secret."

He hovered next to Lincoln and whispered in his ear.

"Hovering, moving while hovering, changing elevation while hovering, communicating while hovering, spinning in the air while hovering and landing on your feet after hovering: All different spells."

Lincoln's eyes grew wide.

"Get. outta. here. Really?"

Liam spoke normally again.

"Yes, and all of these are advanced spells. The simplest of which consists of six runes. And I mastered all of them. The same goes for every single spell in my arsenal. My power is the result of eons of hard work and perseverance."

Lincoln grew a little lightheaded at the thought.

"I spent most of my life perfecting my craft. And for the first half of it - which is a long time by the way - I barely scraped by with what I had. I had to go through a lot of stuff, most of it more horrible than you can even imagine, and I persevered. I even built an empire dedicated to wisdom and scholarship. Hell, I was ninety-six years old and on my deathbed, barely able to hold a thought when I invented the spell to reverse your age."

The tone in his voice gre harsher, but it was not because of anger. At least it didn't seem that way to Lincoln.

"And it took me many more lifetimes to master it. I have accomplished more than everyone else in my world put together. So yes. I think I'm better than most people. Forgive my arrogance, but I think it is justified. And i know it is too: I gave so many promising mages an opportunity to achieve what I achieved, and every single one disappointed me, without fail."

With that he performed the procedure on Leni once more, properly this time.

"I...i get that. I can't even imagine doing half the things you must've done...Sorry."

"Oh no, my friend, don't apologize. It is true, I was rude. I will continue trying to hold back, for your sake. After all, you may be the one to finally surprise me."

Lincoln didn't follow.

"How so?"

Liam smiled one of his big smiles.

"Oh, I just thought that maybe, if you want, I could teach you."

"...What? But I thought..."

"Don't worry about that. I can help with that. And I wont even have to touch your shoulder the whole time. Only if you want though, of course."

Lincoln was practically bouncing on his feet.

"Of course! This is amazing! I accept!"

Liam's smile grew wider.

"Lincoln, you are seriously one of the most agreeable partners I ever had the pleasure to work with. Don't worry, you wont regret it. But first, lets continue with fulfilling your wish, alright? I still have a few minds to scan."

The boy was actually jumping now.

"Oh man, I can't wait to tell Clyde about this. Im actually going to become a magician! This is awesome!"

"Why are you still talking about that Clyde fellow?"

A confused look appeared on his face.

"What? Why shouldn't I? He is my best friend."

"Yes. And he's dead."

His face fell.

"What?"

Liam poofed the list of names into existence once more and pointed at the name on the very top. Clyde's name.

"What...but..."

"The very first thing he did after finding me was try my riddle out. I don't even know what the hell a lanternsmith is. Certainly not me."

Lincoln's mind tried to process the information.

"But...but he looked fine yesterday..."

"Of course he did. The punishment for failing my riddle is eternal slumber. He will slowly wither away and die of dehydration. Not very pleasent. Oh well. You win some you lose some, right buddy?"

Lincoln just stood there, a hand on his forehead and tears welling up in his eyes as Liam scanned Lori's brain, whistling a happy tune all the while.

* * *

 **AN: Am i the only one who always got the impression that Lynn has more of a pal/friend relationship with Lincoln than he has with his other sisters? Like i could imagine them hanging out even if they werent related. But thats probably just because she reminds me of one of my own childhood friends. ^^**


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: So, just to clarify something: I have not yet seen any of Loud House Season 2, and i wont for a while. If i did, i would just constantly worry about contradicting any new information. So here is how im gonna do it - Ill wait until the season is over and will then watch it in a marathon. After im done im going to go back and rewrite anything that should be changed because of any potential new information.**

 **In other news: We are 24.000 words into the story now, and the prolouge is finally over. Yay. ^^ (Sorry again for any awkwardness. I know im not that great an author, and im really self-concious about that kinda stuff. But as long as at least some of you guys/gals like it im satisfied. =)**

* * *

"How about you calm down."

Lincoln had no plans to do so anytime soon.

"Why didn't you tell me earlier?! Didn't it occur to you that maybe, just a thought though, I should be informed about something like this?!"

Liam just shrugged.

"No? What's done is done. Ashes to ashes. I don't really see your problem."

"You don't...you...what?! You are going to do something about this right now! Its your fault he's in this position! You're so proud of yourself, of everything you accomplished, so fix this!"

Sometimes Liam really hated interacting with such emotionally fragile people. But on the other hand these were usually the most useful figures in whatever he was planning at a given moment, so he tolerated it. Barely.

"First of: How is this my fault exactly?"

"How? Its your stat-"

"My statue, huh? Do you think I chose to be in this situation? Robbed of most of my power, forced to be errand boy for someone whose biggest trouble in life is childish pre-pubescent nonsense?"

Lincoln wanted to interject something, but found himself at a loss for words. As a result he calmed down a bit.

"I...i guess you're right...but still..."

Liam still couldn't believe how easy this was. If things back home would've always went this smoothly he probably wouldn't even be here right now.

"But still indeed. Because even though I'm just as much a victim here as your little friend, I will still help. Because I like you."

The boy dried his eyes with his hands.

"Really?"

"Really. Show me the way."

"W...what? To Clyde's?"

He nodded. Lincoln didn't have to be told twice. He ran downstairs while thanking his magical friend and opened the door. But instead of the outside of his home he found himself in another familiar location. Clyde's room.

He was starting to question how that could be but then remembered all that happened today and simply accepted it. Stranger things had happened. Time seemed to flow normally again too.

"Is he...still alive?"

Liam appeared behind him, startling him once again.

"Yes. He will die from natural causes. Of course it could also be that the hospital his parents will put him in will try to extend his life as long as possible, never realizing that it is pointless."

Lincoln walked up to his best friend. Right now it didn't look like anything was wrong. He turned to face Liam.

"So you'll reverse it? Make it so he can wake up again?"

The wizard shook his head much to Lincoln's confusion.

"I can't do that."

"What do you mean you can't do that?!"

"I can't dispel or reverse any spells that have the statue as a source. If I could then this day would have been drastically different, I can assure you."

His confusion grew to anger again.

"But you told me you would help!"

"I will. Observe."

The wizard pointed at Clyde. The child's body began to glow in a faint red and a thin line connected it to Liam's hand. As soon as they were fully connected he opened his palm, and closed it into a fist in short succession. Clyde's body jerked shortly in response and was still again a second after. In fact he was stiller than before.

"...What did you do?"

"I finished the job."

His jaw dropped.

"You what?! I thought you were going to help him! Is killing someone the same as helping them now?!"

Liam sighed in frustration.

"How about you just wait a second before criticizing me, aight?"

With that he did the same thing he had just done in reverse. He pointed at Clyde's body, which began to glow a blinding blue, formed a fist and then opened his hand again in quick succession. And just like that Clyde began breathing again. Only for a few seconds though, as time stopped once more.

"...You can just bring people back from the dead?..."

He grinned.

"Id like to say yes but sadly I'm not that powerful. Not even were I at full capacity."

"Then how did you do it?..."

He shook his head.

"You know what, never mind. Thank you. I honestly...dont know what I would've done if he just died like that..."

Liam glided back onto his feet.

"Lincoln, do you still want to learn magic?"

The boy cocked his head.

"Uhm..yes? But what does that have to do with anything?"

"Because this is the perfect opportunity to explain to you the most important aspect of a mages existence. The very foundation of everything that makes us what we are."

He was intrigued now. Of course he would have preferred if stuff like lessons in magic would happen at a time were he wasn't just recovering from an emotional rollercoaster, but with Liam he had to take what he could get.

"Don't worry, this is just a crash course. I will give you the relevant textbooks with all the boring details later."

"Are you reading my mind right now or something?"

If Liam heard the question he didnt show it.

"Listen. This is important."

"Alright, alright..."

One of the mirrors around his neck enlarged again, this time it had just the right dimension for an adult human.

"Magic is everywhere. Not only in my world, but in all worlds. This world is just in short supply."

He added "In very, very short supply..." in a barely audible whisper.

"And the magic that is everywhere around us seeps into our bodies from the day we are born. In magic-rich worlds such as mine, this leads to people like me. In...worlds like this one...it leads to people like you. Understand?"

Lincoln nodded, still not knowing where his teacher was going.

"The magic forms an imprint in and around our bodies. It mimics us. It copies us. There is basically a second person with us at all times, that is exactly like we are. Observe."

The mirror floated over to Lincoln. In it he could see his reflection like usual. But there was something else too. It was barely visible. There was a faint blue outline around his body, like in a comic. In addition to that there was something that vaguely resembled a stick figure on his reflections body. Afterwards the mirror floated in front of Liam. His reflection was practically a smurf. Everything was blue. The glow wasn't even faint. Lincoln felt a little inadequate in comparison.

"Chin up, my friend. My imprint looked like yours once too. Hard work and perseverance, you remember?"

"Yeah...yeah I do. But what does that have to do with resurrection exactly?"

"Patience, boy. I was getting to that."

The mirror took its place around Liam's neck again.

"Resurrection is impossible. When someone dies, that's it. They're dead. But the imprint is left behind. And as long as the body is still intact it is relatively easy to make the imprint inhabit it. Remember, its basically a second you anyway."

Lincoln scratched his head.

"So what does that mean exactly?"

"It means that I haven't brought your friend back to life. Not exactly. I have more or less let an exact copy of him take his place. As the two share the same memories he will be none the wiser of course."

"...Well, if they are the same anyway does it really matter?"

Liam smiled.

"Interesting. But to answer your question, no, not really. But that's not all there is to it. There are certain advantages and disadvantages that come with being brought back like that."

"And those are...?"

"The advantages are twofold. Since your imprint is the thing that you channel your magic through a person that is a personified version of that will have his or her power increased about tenfold. Since your friend is a non-mage anyway though this wont affect him at all."

"Oh...so are you...you know...dead?"

Liam let out a surprise chuckle.

"Me? Heavens, no. Most certainly not. Though I don't blame you for assuming. I certainly came closer to deaths door than I would have liked countless times. But no. Natural survivor, I guess."

"Alright...What is the other advantage?"

"The other advantage is another thing that wont be of much use to him. Due to certain circumstances regarding the spell that allows mind control, people who have been brought back from the dead are immune to it."

Lincoln figured that that would probably be a pretty big advantage in a world were spells like those were commonplace.

"Now lets move on to the disadvantages. Again, two major ones. Firstly, and I think that should be obvious, people who have been brought back can not return again. If Clyde dies now there's nothing anyone can do about it. His lifespan and general life expectancy remains unchanged though, so unless he is a soldier on active duty I don't think this will be a problem."

Lincoln agreed. At least he got another chance to live again.

"The second disadvantage is a more serious one. The imprint copies everything about us. If we grow and learn, it grows and learns. If we change, it changes. Left alone, the imprint loses that feature."

"...What, so you mean that Clyde has lost the ability to learn things?"

He shook his head.

"No, he can still learn things. And he will still mature with experience. But all in all, he will never grew beyond the person he is right now. Everything that defines him today will define him until the day he dies."

Lincoln looked down at his sleeping friend.

"...Thats...thats..."

"Its better than him being dead, right?"

He sighed. Internally he was fiercly debating with himself.

"You're right...And its not like something is wrong with Clyde, right? He is great...And that means that whatever happens he can't change for the worse at least, right?...Maybe its for the best that he stays like he is..."

He sounded like he wanted to convince himself.

"Yes, maybe it is. How about we return now? There is still so much to do, and so little...alright, we have all the time we want, but we still achieve nothing by staying here and watching your friend sleep."

"Yeah..."

Lincoln sighed and slowly moved back towards the door. Once he was back inside his house, Liam moved his hand and closed the door behind the boy. He floated over to Clyde, shook his head, and touched the sleeping boys arm.

His body was aglow with yellow light, shining through his closed eyes, coursing through his veins, tainting his flesh.

"Believe me, friend of Lincoln..." Liam whispered before vanishing.

"This is a mercy."

* * *

Lincoln was still lost in thought when Liam drew information out of his parents. He felt a touch on his shoulder and once again his thoughts ran at super speed.

"This thing you can do is really useful, you know?"

"Yeah, don't get used to it. Overusing it is not healthy. I just thought you might need it right now..."

"Thanks anyway."

Suddenly a book fell down before Lincoln.

"Here. I thought that might cheer you up."

He picked up the book and scanned the title.

 **A Beginners Guide to Casting**

"The rest are in your room. Don't worry about being found out, they'll look like comics to anyone else."

"Thanks but...i thought I need magic in my body or something to cast spells?"

He chuckled. Lincoln jumped a bit as the location around him changed. Once everything returned to normal they were standing in his parents bedroom. Before he could ask what the point of that was his wizard friend pulled a little metal star out his robe pocket. It was painted yellow, with a little mirror in the middle.

"...And what is that exactly?"

"This thing is called "The Star of Acadia". It was the national treasure of one of my rival nations before I razed them to the ground. It has a...peculiar little secret."

He threw the star in Lincoln's direction who barely managed to catch it.

"And that is...?"

"It basically functions like a video-telephone, always connecting to Acadias royal chamber."

Lincoln scratched his head in confusion.

"And how exactly is that going to help us?..."

"It still connects there, even now. Even so far from home, even though the room in question doesn't even exist anymore, it still connects. So what we are going to do...is that!"

Right after he said that Liam's fingernail grew a bit and assumed the form of a needle. He murmured something and the mirrors image began changing. But before it could form anything coherent Liam punctured it with his nail. An earsplitting screech erupted from the star and it slowly dissolved into nothing.

"There, done."

Lincoln lowered the hands from his ears.

"Done what? Rupturing my eardrums?"

"Your funny. But no, nothing that simple. Puncturing a mirror that is connected to another dimension is next to impossible. Honestly I didn't even know if I could do it. Evidently I'm even better than I imagined."

"Could you please just tell me what you just did?"

He shook his head.

"My, my, so impatient. Observe."

The wizard used his thumb and index finger to form a hole and held it before Lincoln's eyes. Everything looked normal. Everything but the place where the star was punctured.

"What...is that?"

"I basically punched a hole in reality. You're welcome."

"You did what in the what now?..."

"Its small, sure, really small even. Barely a pinprick. But it still connects your world to mine. And since my world is overflowing with magic, and yours isn't..."

It took him a minute but soon Lincoln put two and two together.

"So the magic is going to come flooding in here now?"

"Yes. The hole will close itself soon enough, two-three years give or take. But by that time everyone who lives here should be able to cast advanced spells already. Of course unless you tell them your sisters wont be able to realize any of that potential. And personally, I think that's for the best. The more mages there are, the more problems will arise."

The scenery changed once again, bringing them back to Lincoln's room.

"You should be able to start learning in just a few weeks."

"...This has seriously been one weird day. And the day hasn't even started yet."

Liam sat down beside Lincoln.

"Here is another present for you."

He touched Lincoln's head.

"There."

The boy didn't feel any different.

"What did you do?"

"Back home you can't really cheat when it comes to learning magic. You see, our planet is pretty self-aware, since it too absorbs a lot of magic on a daily you don't want to anger it. If you try cheating, something that is called a "magical backlash" will happen, rendering you impossible of using any spell you tried to cheat on. Its apparently very painful too. In this world there are no such safeguards though."

"So you...cheated for me?"

"Something like that. I don't want to make it too easy for you. But I also don't want you to give up right away. So I removed the greatest barrier to entry new mages usually face. You should have no problem crafting any rune now. So be happy, no five-hour long prep work for every spell you want to cast."

Lincoln looked down at his hands.

"The other things will still apply though. So let me give you some advice. When you get a quiet moment sometime in the next few days, sit down with one of my books, choose a spell category that speaks to you, and try it out."

The boy looked around and saw the books in question lying in a pile on the ground. It looked like there were about a hundred of them, but they were all as thin as comics. Probably more magic.

"Most mages focus on one spell category over others, due to the difficulty of mastering spells. Id go for summoning if I were you. Its the easiest to learn."

He put the book he was holding down with the others, and it too changed into something resembling a comic. Even after all the strange things that had happened today, it still amazed him every time.

"So what about my wish?"

Liam shrugged.

"Aren't you a little too young for that right now? Maybe you should wait a bit. Try to get your footing when it comes to casting. That should take at least a few years. We can still get around to fixing your non-existent relationship problems afterwards, right? It just seems...more Appropriate that way."

"I...i guess. Im going to have enough on my plate with this stuff anyway."

He pointed at the books.

"At least I'm going to have the very best teacher, right?"

The wizard smiled in appreciation.

"Ah, flattery, my greatest weakness. But to be honest, these books are probably all you need. I wrote most of them anyway. I mean, I want you to learn this stuff by yourself anyway, so I don't plan on helping that much anyway. And since were only tackling your wish after you became at least presentable as a magician, I actually feel kind of...redundant right now. Might as well not be here till you're done."

Lincoln was just about to reassure him, tell him that there was plenty of stuff he could do when he saw him going deathly pale. The mirrors around his neck fell to the ground with a clang.

"Hey, what's wrong? Is everything alright?"

Liam moaned as if in pain.

"No...No, I didn't mean it like that! No!"

Lincoln was about to panic. And in his agitated state, he didn't notice the smirk that crossed his teachers face for but a split second.

"Lincoln, listen to me."

His tone was pained and hurried.

"Take care...of my statue. Let no one...no one else have it. Be careful, and learn. Work on your magic. If you do all that...I will be able to return..."

The boy didn't understand what was going on. But after what happened next he got a pretty good idea. Liam's body slowly turned into mist. Not blue, like from his spell, but colorless. And in a flash, so fast that it was barely visible, the mist was sucked back into the statue.

The noise outside meant that time had started running again. The only evidence that the events of this day even happened were a bunch of strange comics in a heap, and a couple of mirrors on the floor.

Lincoln didn't even intend to start digesting what just happened. He simply sighed, lay down on his bed and closed his eyes.

It had been a long day after all.


	8. Chapter 8

**AN: I have very little time at the moment, so enjoy this mini-chapter. This was originally supposed to be the very last part of the next chapter, but considering the circumstances i think it fits here too. I also tried to clean up my style a bit to make stuff more readable. I hope it helps. When i have time i will also go back and fix errors and stuff in the old chapters.**

* * *

He sat on the throne, letting his wings recede back into his body. He was weary, tired. It had been over three months since the emperor disappeared. The only reason the empire still functioned at all was the fact that the old man had had enough foresight to teach his disciples what it took to lead despite his seeming immortality.

"Father...when will the Great One return?" one of his children asked, eyes full of uncertainty and strife. "Is this a test of faith? Have we sinned? Sister Mandoly thinks the same. Maybe we should increase the daily prayer time?"

The older man sighed and shook his head. He put a pale, clawed hand on the younger mans head. "Do not worry, my son. I doubt it. We have purged the vile rebels already, and the rest of the lands seem to be more faithful than ever. No, whatever happened to him, it was not our fault."

He scratched his short dark beard in thought. "But maybe you're right. Let us increase the number of our prayers anyway. It cannot hurt after all."

This seemed to satisfy the troubled youth, who bowed respectfully and joined his brethren. Slowly but surely the throne room filled up with his kin. Some flying, some walking, some staying in their more animalistic forms, some preferring to show their human side instead. And some weren't even of his kind.

Not that this mattered to the old man. These were just as much his children as the rest. Why should he cast them aside when they were just as devoted as the others.

He sighed again and lost himself in thought. How could this have happened? Of course, since the emperor disappeared immediately after he struck down the vile rebellion, suspicion fell onto the Neo Acadians. When he and his brethren heard about this they began the purge without delay. New Acadia was an empty nation soon after.

He had expected there to be an outcry, But no, the people of the imperium were as righteous as he had hoped they would be. And instead of being executed for cleansing the land, new Grand Empress Nyssa had given his children New Acadia as a gift. If his body could cry he would've wept.

In the past few weeks he and his most trusted had personally overseen the pilgrimages to make sure everything was in order. Combining that with their search for the emperor that occupied the rest of his free time it was now wonder he felt so exhausted. He was just about to stand up and give a speech to his children when it happened.

A loud sound, louder than the mighty roar of a dragon echoed through the hall. Many of his children fell to the ground, clutching their ears, but he stood straight. His eyes had caught something. On the ceiling. Or near the ceiling, anyway. It looked like something had punctured reality. It was impossible to describe exactly. He was obviously not the only one who had noticed this as one of his children, a human one at that and an oldtimer too, grabbed his metal staff and with the speed of someone who had practiced for years, crafted a complicated set of runes in the air. A number, more than ten at least, build a circle -with a big one appearing in the middle. All of this happened in under a minute. And the moment he was finished, without saying a word, he rammed the staff against the middle rune. A concentrated beam of energy left the staff and enveloped the tear in reality, concealing it inside a bubble.

The Father was impressed.

"Quick thinking there, child. You have my respect."

The human bowed deeply. "You are too kind Father. I just did what I though best."

He shook his head. "Don't be so modest. It was an impressive feat. But what, pray tell, did you do exactly?"

"This is a portal into another world, Father, though it is incredibly small." The religious leader was intrigued. "It most certainly leads into a world with little magic of its own, or it would not have made that big a noise when it appeared."

He wanted to ask a question, but a female sister, one of his kind, took the words out of his mouth.

"But brother, if the world on the other side is a world of sin, how could someone have opened this tear?"

He had just noticed it, but his human child seemed to be unnaturally excited about something

"That's the thing sister, its not possible. Someone or something of extreme magical prowess is needed to create such a phenomenon."

Surprised and hopeful whispers erupted in the crowded room. "And, if I may be so bold, I think I can safely say that even the empires best and brightest could not manage such a feat. It is too precise, too controlled."

He stood up, eyes wide open and focused now. "My son, do you mean what I think you mean?"

The human let out a short cough before answering. "I cannot be sure, of course. But I would say that it is highly likely that it is indeed our great one on the other side."

Now the whispering turned into loud cheering. Some of his children were so excited that they couldn't hold on to their human forms, their wings and fangs growing, their yes turning red. Some decided to turn onto animals completely, with bats and falcons circling around the magical sphere, while others dissolved into mist, clouding the room in a soothing white.

He stepped down next to his child and embraced him. "That is excellent news, child." He let go and addressed everyone. "My children, a word please." He waited until everyone had calmed down. "We will tell no one of this discovery until we are certain, is that clear?" Cries of agreement could be heard. "Now, Tellius, my son. Can we open a portal to that world? Is that possible?"

The old human nodded slowly. "I think it is possible yes. But I must warn you. Time is a fickle thing, and it runs differently in every world. In fact, compared to us, other worlds seemingly speed up and slow down in a random pattern, the same is true in reverse of course."

Murmur erupted again. A sister yelled "What does that mean, exactly?"

"I will get to that. The sphere that contains the tear also stops time on the other side. But since it took a while for me to cast my spell we have no way of knowing when exactly we will arrive when we cross over. It could be a second after the tear was created. It could be a month, or a year. Or a thousand."

The Father shook his head smiling. His fangs were very visible. "Do not worry, my child. It is of no consequence. Just tell us, can you open a portal by yourself?"

He shook his head. "Im sorry. But I know a few good mages in other chapters, and two in my own, who would be glad to provide help."

"That should be no problem." He stretched his arms outwards and spoke to the heavens. "My children, the great one has given us a sign! We shall cross over into whatever vile dimension he was abducted to, and we will rescue him. We will seek new brothers and sisters to join us! And we will slay all heathens who stand in our way. GLORY TO THE GREAT ONE!"

The sentiment was repeated by everyone present. For a good five minutes the throne room was filled with praise for the Great One.

"As for your reward, my child...I will offer you the choice between a reward of wealth and a reward of faith. Choose what you wish."

The human bowed down. "I choose the reward of faith, Father. There is nothing material that I crave."

The Father smiled a sincere smile. "The I think it is only right that I would confer to you the title of Priest."

The old mages jaw dropped. "B-but Father..."

"I am aware that normally only my kin can advance in our ranks, but I think it we can make an exception this time. And before you interrupt again, I know full well that matters such as these are a group decision. And since more than half of my chapter is present now, I think we can proceed." He raised his clawed hand. "I, as Father, supreme authority of this family, call for a vote to allow this child, Brother Tellius, to raise above the station of Acolyte, to advance in our ranks as if he were kin. Do the Grand Bishops of this chapter agree?"

Three of his kin raised their hand. One of them nodded and spoke. "Three of this chapters four Grand Bishops are present, and all agree to allow the vote. Do the Grand Priests have any objections?"

No one spoke up. After a minute of silence, one of the children nodded. "All Grand Priests of this chapter are present, and none have objections. Brothers and sisters, we would ask of you to vote on this matter. Everyone in favor raise their hand."

Tellius couldn't believe his eyes as he saw every single hand lift into air. Some of his brothers and sisters pat him in the shoulder in encouragement.

"The vote has concluded. Since more than half of this chapter agree, I will now declare that bother Tellius shall from now on be awarded the rank of Priest, and be granted every opportunity to raise his rank that presents itself. I have spoken."

"But Father, I am not part of your private chapter. I was sent to help with my healing magic in case someone was in need."

"You are now, my child. Welcome." The old human broke down in tears of happiness. "Now, my children, bring out the prisoners so we can feed. Also, could someone bring our newest brother a human meal? And don't worry about not getting enough blood." He licked his fangs and looked at the encased tear in the ceiling. "We shall have plenty of food soon enough!"

* * *

 **AN: Fun Fact - I really regret my decision not to watch Loud House Season 2 right now. I heard the Christmas episode was fantastic...But i must be strong! ^^**

 **Anyway, hope you enjoyed this one, short and Loudless as it was. I will make up for that with the next chapter though, i promise. =)**


	9. Chapter 9

**AN: Thanks for all the reviews guys. I really appreciate it! And not a single negative one yet. (Though it is only a matter of time, im sure.) Hope you enjoy the new chapter. =)**

* * *

Lincoln was frustrated. He stretched his arms and almost fell over, but levitated upright again just in time. His magic had been less powerful and notably less reliable as of late. "Index, have you found out the cause yet?"

 _Im sorry Lincoln, nothing yet._ Lincoln sighed. _Anything else?_

"Give me my schedule for today. I should have already taken care of everything important but it never hurts to double check."

 _Certainly. You really shouldn't stress yourself so much though. Just relax a bit._

The young wizard frowned. "You know exactly what happens when I don't think things through. Right now I have to study and refine my powers, but I can't very well do that if they don't work properly now can I? Schedule."

 _Sheesh kiddo, don't be so dramatic, I get it. Alright...First: Lori has to renew her ID, you wanted to arrange it so she doesn't have to wait in line._

He nodded. "Already did it this morning. The talisman is in her purse and it is unlikely she will find it anytime soon."

 _Alright then. Second: Luna has a big gig and is incredibly nervous. You wanted to ensure she has no problems with stage fright or jitters._

Lincoln slowly floated back onto his bed, but didn't quite stick the landing. Liam had always made it look so easy. "Ouch." Index chuckled his familiar chuckle. "I gave her the prepped guitar pick an hour ago. She should have no problems."

 _It took you a while to enchant it, right? Kudos to that. Its usually takes people a bit longer to start working on objects this small._ A sound of applause, similar to the canned sit-com ones engulfed the room.

He rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Its not like I had no help. Next."

 _Third: Daily preparation to redirect Lynn's nightmares onto yourself. Seriously man, you shouldn't mess with that sort of thing. I know you think this is helping her, but shell never really move on if you continue doing that. Just let it happen and..._

"I can't remember asking for your opinion!" he snapped. "And of course I already did that. First thing after waking up, like always. Next!"

A sound not dissimilar to a sigh emerged in his head. _Alright, alright. Don't say I didn't warn you though...Again...Anyway. Fourth: Help Lucy with her studies. The only sensible thing on your list, like always._

Lincoln stood up and moved to the door. "Finally, something I still have to do." He opened it and looked into the hallway. Like so often these days no one but Lori and Lucy were home. And since Lori was always either sleeping or working when she had time for herself he figured he could take more risks than usual. After a bit of concentration several symbols on his clothes began to lit up and he slowly gained altitude until he was hovering in midair.

Slowly but surely he began moving forward. If Liam...no, he couldn't think like that...WHEN Liam came back from his whole...being a statue thing...he really oughta teach him how to glide through the air like it was nothing.

"...Lincoln...?" The sudden calling of his name burst his concentration enough that he lost control and landed painfully on his hindquarters. When he opened his eyes he was face to face with a very surprised looking Lori. He hated looking at her face. The tired, puffy eyes. The frazzled hair. The grumpy look. This time there was also a hint of questioning whether or not she was still asleep. From the looks of it she had just woken up too.

"Now Lori...this Isn't what it looks like..."

But before he could continue he heard a quiet "Sleep." and just like that his sister fell forward, sound asleep. He caught her at the last second and gently put her down. He looked forward at the perpetrator. A young girl clad in all black clothes, eyes hid behind her hair.

"Lucy...or is it...?"

She shook her head. "No, its me...Did I do something wrong? I kinda sorta panicked a bit." Ever since she began learning magic her voice carried much more emotion. It still wasn't much, but compared to how it had been before it was still a significant increase. Index had mentioned that something like that may happen. Magic relied on emotion after all.

Now he shook his head. "Its alright. It was my fault anyway. I just don't have that much space to practice hovering in my room. It wont happen again." He stood up and pointed at their sleeping sister. "Could you give me a hand with this?" She nodded and grabbed Loris legs. Together they carried her into her and Lenis room, and carefully placed the sleeping blonde onto her bed.

"So, about your lesson plan..." As he turned around to look at her he was taken by surprise once again. "You know, I really don't need this right now."

Lucy's entire body had changed. Her hair was white, and did not obscure her...or rather his snake like yellow eyes. Scales had grown on her body, but only in irregular patched. He smiled, the forked tongue darting out of his fang-filled mouth. And he spoke with the voice Lincoln hated so much. " **Im hungry Lincoln. How about you feed me?** "

Lincoln shook his head, annoyed at this whole situation and stormed out of the room, his sister(?) following behind him. "You know exactly what our agreement is Bel. Once a month, no more, no less."

The thing continued smiling its eerie smile. " **But Lincy, your little sister is sooooo hungry. Also, don't you need help with anything? Anything at all? I could be persuaded to work my wonders...all I want in return is some food.** "

Lincoln was about to rebut when a familiar voice entered his head. It sounded urgent too. _Lincoln, I have located the source of your magic problems._

"You have? Where is it?"

 _I hate to be the one who fulfills a cliches but...its coming from inside the house. Your parents bedroom in particular. And its getting stronger._

Of course. Of all the places, it had to be there. But that also meant that whatever the problem was, it probably had something to do with the hole Liam poked between dimension back then. Without a moments notice he turned and ran to the source of the problem, Bel following close behind. He hesitated a second when he arrived at the door. No one had been in here for the last couple of years. But now was not the time to be lost in thought.

As soon as he opened the door the problem was eminent. Normally one couldn't perceive the breach with the naked eye. But now it was visible. Very visible. And very big. He pulled a book out of his pocket, opened it, and held it in the direction of the breach. "Index, what the hell is going on here?"

 _Well, would you look at that. It looks like something or someone is trying to break through. There is a lot of magic at work too._

Lincoln swallowed. After everything he read about Liam's homeworld the chances of whatever was on the other side being friendly was one to five thousand. At least as long as Liam was still trapped in the statue. "Index, any chance that I could close it from here?"

 _Not really. Not with your magic being sapped by it._

Sweat began to build up on his forehead. "Alright...what about the robe? Or..." he looked over his shoulder, with the thing in Lucy's body giving a girly wave. "..or...if I ask Bel for help?" It was evident from his tone that he really really didn't like the idea of the latter.

 _I don't think that's a very good idea. You have an advantage here, see. Since the origin-point is on your side, the breach is much more fragile here...but both the robe and Bel...they are too strong. And they arent really capable of controlling said strength. You run the risk of shattering the breach, which would not only not close it, but open it for good, just much bigger than before._

"...Liam really doesn't think these things through, does he?..."

 _Not really no._

The boy's thoughts raced inside his head. He contemplated idea after idea until finally settling on one. He did't like it very much, but it seemed the only reliable option. He turned around. "Bel...I want you to shield me. Make it so that the breach can no longer rob me of my magic."

 _Are you sure about that? I know you studied up on sealing magic, but I didn't figure you an expert. This is really complicated stuff...For an beginner anyway._

Lincoln just shook his head. "I have to try...You know exactly what manner of creatures could be trying to break through...I have to stop it...I have to try at the very least..."

A claw touched his shoulder. " **Of course, I can do that if you really want me to. But you know what _I_ want in return.** "

He breathed in an out slowly. "Yes...I will feed you. You will get another meal before the end of this week." With that he faced the tear again. "Now shield my body and then return my sister's back to her."

A rough laugh could be heard. A symbol on Bel's forehead glowed, enveloping first him and then Lincoln in a blinding light that subsided soon after. " **The deal is made. Enjoy my blessing. Be seeing you later.** " With that he fell backwards, turning back into Lucy on the way down. Normally Lincoln would've checked if she was okay, but now it was time for action.

As soon as he felt his power return, he pulled one of his mirrors out and began drawing the runes. He didn't have time to check if those were the correct ones, having to rely on his memory instead. The young wizard had figured he would have to deal with something like this at some point. Even though he had chosen summoning as his favored type, sealing magic was always on his mind as well. He let go of the finished mirror which was now floating in front of him, rune side facing the breach. His adrenaline was pumping as he recited the names of all six runes without tripping up once. For once his hard work had actually paid off.

Light burst from the mirror, engulfing the gaping hole in reality. He suddenly felt resistance mounting, as whoever was on the other side had obviously noticed the interference, but that only spurred him on to put everything he had into it. Suddenly everything went white as pain ran through his body and he fell onto the floor for a second time this day. Once the pain had receded a bit he stood up, rubbed his eyes and surveyed the room. Except for his passed out sister and his mirror on the floor the room was empty. No magical tear in sight. "Index, what happened?"

It took unusually long but after a few minutes he heard the familiar voice in his head. _Sorry boss, I was a bit out of it. But don't worry, its all good news. You partially succeeded, which is much more than I had expected. Hooray._

Lincoln sat down beside his sister and made sure everything was alright while he talked. "What do you mean "partial success"? The breach is closed, Isn't it?"

 _It definitely is. And whatever wanted to come through, you certainly have ruined their plans._

"Their?"

 _Yep. A whole bunch of people tried to cross over. But alas, only a handful made it through. And by closing the hole you have cut off their way back._

Great. Now whoever came over from Liam's world was bound to be angry or at least irritated once they inevitably found out. "And where exactly are they?"

 _Another bit of good news. They were SUPPOSED to be here right now. But by closing it right as they passed through you have basically flung them across the world. They could be right outside this door. They could be in this city somewhere. Or they could be in china, landing on a bag of rice right now. Wherever they are, they aren't going to be a problem for a while...i think._

Lincoln sighed. "You think...Awesome..." He stood up and picked up his sister.

 _Great work with the spell by the way. You really defied expectations there._

"How so?"

 _You managing to cast the spell was extraordinary for someone who has just begun a couple of years ago. I think you can now call yourself a mage without any hyperbole or doubt. But your still a rookie. Actually closing the breach should have been impossible._

He allowed himself to smile. "Whatever happened, I'm glad it did."

"Actually, I helped with the last part."

He raised an eyebrow. "Really? How could you have helped Index? You know, without a body and stuff..."

A chuckle could be heard. Now Lincoln noticed that instead of inside his head the voice was coming from behind him. "Not Index. Me, my friend. Long time no see." After he turned around Lincoln fell on his behind for the third time. A trend he really didn't care much for. But he didn't really care about that right now because in front of him was his old "friend" Liam.

Not only that, but he was also in his underwear. "But first things first..." Lincoln knew what would come next as the grand emperor held his hand out in front him. "Would you kindly return my robe? I feel rather naked without it."

Before he could reply anything his clothes ripped themselves from his body and went back to their original owner, taking the form of a robe again. With the situations reversed and Lincoln now in his underwear he swallowed and locked eyes with the older man. "Welcome back." As Liam began to float and showed his familiar smile Lincoln knew that it was really him.

"Im glad to be, old chap. Lets continue where we left of, shall we?"

* * *

 _\- 3 Years Earlier -_

Lincoln was frustrated. He stretched his arms and almost fell over, but caught himself just in time. It had been about a week since Liam was sucked back into the statue. He had only seen Clyde once after that, at school. Ronnie Anne too, for that matter. As he had learned later there seemed to be some sort of bug going around. Clyde had been awfully coughy that day, and apparently Ronnie Anne had caught it too. So did a couple other kids and, miraculously, pretty much every teacher. Clyde had been gone by Tuesday, Ronnie Anne called in sick at Wednesday, and the whole school shut down Thursday. And from what he had heard it may remain so for another week.

Luckily everyone in his family was still healthy. So far it didn't seem like anything too serious though, it simply looked like a very persistent fever. Just bad enough to stay home, but not so bad as to require a stay at the hospital. Some people had already recovered too. (None of the teachers though luckily.) The really frustrating thing though were these damn comics. When Liam was there all of them simply looked like comics, but the titles, and was written within was anything but. Now though...

He picked one up. The one that had once been _A Beginners Guide to Casting_. Now though it showed the drawing of a weird mix of superhero and traditional magician holding a bank robber in a magic cage. The title was **_TALES OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY #1_** with the subtitle _Containing the Origin of the Amazing New Hero : Master Caster_ .

It was a surprisingly good read, but that wasn't the problem. It contained no instructions, no helpful advice, nothing that could teach him anything. It wasn't even any longer than a regular comic. Same for all of these issues. In the end there was nothing he could do about it, but still. After a sigh he took off his clothes until he was in his distinguished comic reading garb and searched through the stack of comics.

 _ **#6**_ **:** _Enter the Enchantress of Evil_ \- Already read that one.

 _ **#11**_ **:** _The Spectacular Summoner Arrives!_ \- This one twice, really good issue.

 _ **#16**_ **:** _With the Mysterious Saint Sorcery. Is he Friend or Foe?!_ \- He winced a little. That one was just creepy.

Finally he got the one he wanted.

 ** _#25_** **:** _Has Commander Cryoman created **ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE?!**_

The cover showed the titular Commander Cryoman fighting against what seemed like an army of possessed clothing Mannequins.

Lincoln shook his head with a smile. "Oh Commander Cryoman, will you ever learn?" For a bunch of textbooks in comic form the story was strangely engaging. But as he began to read he noticed something unusual. On the margin of every page there was some kind of unfinished drawing, It was small, and he didn't really know what it was supposed to be, but it was distracting nevertheless. It was on every page at the exact same place but the really strange thing was that it seemed to get better and more detailed as the comic went on.

After ten or so pages it was pretty clear what it was supposed to be. A face. A human face. An incredibly detailed human face. It was a woman, probably in her twenty's with long hair and beautiful expressive eyes. There was no color to it, it looked more like a sketch, but an incredibly lifelike one. As he went to turn the page again he caught something in the corner of his eye. The drawing had blinked. Now he began staring at it for a while. He was ready to move on again when the lips of the woman moved. The voice he heard came from inside his own head however.

 _Greeting: Hello._

It was definitely a female voice. He waved awkwardly. "Uhm...hi, I guess? Who or what are you?" He saw the panels of the comic slowly transform into text once more, the rest of the covers turning into plain book titles as well, still retaining comic form however.

 _Introduction: My Name is Index and I am a complex conjured Artificial Intelligence created by Grand Emperor Liam as a personal secretary._

Linconln shrugged. He honestly wasn't surprised that Liam had made something like that. "And why are you showing yourself to me?"

She smiled.

 _Mission Statement: Master Liam instructed me to help you in learning the ropes and becoming a true magician in any way I can._

Two expertly sketched hands appeared under her face and clapped together.

 _Cautious but Optimistic Statement: I hope we can grow to become an excellent team in the future._


	10. - DV3 is gonna be great, i bet -

So, hello there. If you expected a new chapter, i have to disappoint you. This is just here to explain what is going on, and the future of this fanfic.

So, you are probably asking yourself: Where has this absolutely handsome devil NiceNoise, my hero, at the same time the role model and adopted father of my children, a gentleman...AND a scholar, been all this time? The answer is simple. Im in the middle of a very busy period of my life. Lots of things to do right now. I had actually forseen that though, and prepared the next couple of chapters of this story in preparation. Figuring i could just upload the prepepared chapters while working on new ones in my limited spare-time. Then my laptop exploded. And its no joke folks, but probably much less exciting than it sounds. Lots of sparks though.

Point being, i lost all of my prepepared chapters, character bios, and basic story outlines for the future. I also lost all my games, e-books, short stories, bookmarked links, etc. Now i could have just taken this loss like a man, started the lost chapters anew, and try to keep my creative juices flowing to give this story the respect it deserves.

But since im a giant manbaby with anger issues, i decided to mope around like a thirteen year old instead. ^^ The point being, im still a little salty about the whole "exploding laptop" and "lost all my lifes work in short stories because i was too stupid to make backups" thing, and have not really been in the mood for writing.

So lets get to the question that really interests you guys: F*cking Magnets, how do they work? The answer is that they dont. What you percieve as the effect of magnets is actually just a very convincing show of special effects and trickery achieved by using magnets.

So now that thats out of the way, lets get to the question that really interests you guys: Will i continue this series? Yes.

Alright, and when exactly am i going to do that? Not in the near near future. In the near future maybe, but not in the next couple of months. Like i said, i have a lot to do at the moment. I have a more flexible schedule near the end of september though.

So lets get to the question that really interests you guys: Am i going to continue this fanfic near the end of september? No. Probably not. And why? Danganronpa V3 : Killing Harmony is why. Im going to play that game till i drop dead from exhaustion. After that though? Sure!

I have every plan to continue this story and bring it to an overly bloated 200.000 + words stretched out end. Liam demands it. ^^

I now by that time i will probably have lost all of you, but its the only way that this is going to work. If i continued now, without any passion for it, the story would suffer as a result. And nobody wants that, right?

So please be patient. I will return soon enough. And hey, maybe this creative pause will benefit this fanfic in the long run.

Thank you for your time and attention, and see you in October! :)


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